July 4 News Items

NASA Recycles Old Spacecraft for New Missions (Source: Space.com)
Two NASA probes well past their prime have a fresh lease on life and new missions ahead. The motherships for NASA's completed Deep Impact and Stardust missions - which smacked one comet and returned samples from another to Earth, respectively - are being retargeted for new science through about 2011. "These mission extensions are as exciting as it gets," said Alan Stern of NASA's Science Mission Directorate. "They will allow us to revisit a comet for the first time, add another to the list of comets explored and make a search for small planets around stars with known large planets." By using veteran spacecraft already in space, researchers can complete the experiments about 15 percent the cost of completely new missions, Stern said.

National Space Club Plans July 10 Luncheon (Source: NSC)
The Florida Committee of the National Space Club will sponsor its next monthly luncheon on July 10 at the Doubletree Hotel in Cocoa Beach. This month's featured speaker is Dan Collins, the Chief Operating Officer of United Launch Alliance. For reservations, call LaDonna, 321-505-2037, or email: ladonna.j.neterer@boeing.com.

Space Florida Board Meeting Planned on July 10 (Source: Space Florida)
The board of directors for Space Florida will hold a public meeting on July 10 at 1:00 p.m. For information and access contact Juanell Kirkendoll at 321-730-5301 extension 241.

Sales Strong for First Seats Aboard Virgin Galactic's Spaceliner (Source: Space.com)
Officials at Virgin Galactic thought the pace of paid reservations might slow down in 2007 - particularly since SpaceShipTwo is not slated to launch before late 2009 at the earliest. They needn't have worried. "In the last quarter, we have doubled the number of bookings taken on the same time last year," said Carolyn Wincer, head of Astronaut Sales for Virgin Galactic. Wincer told SPACE.com the company had thought that interest might drop for a while until the new spaceship was rolled out.

China to Launch French-Made Communications Satellite (Source: Xinhua)
China is preparing to launch a French-made broadcasting satellite. The satellite and the Chinese-made rocket carrier Long March 3B have been moved to the launch site at Xichang spacceport in southwest China's Sichuan Province. The mission is the 101st launch by a Long March rocket carrier. The Chinasat 6B satellite was manufactured by France's Alcatel Alenia Space and has a designed lifespan of 15 years.

Boot Camp for Rocketeers (Source: MSNBC)
Private-sector space efforts are taking on some giant leaps - as evidenced by last week’s launch of the Genesis 2 inflatable module and the progress made by a half-dozen spaceship companies over the past year. But those giant leaps started out years ago with small steps, and this month some of the guiding lights in the spaceflight industry will be offering a "boot camp" for a new crop of ventures that are just entering into the small-step stage.

The boot camp will be a highlight of the Space Frontier Foundation's annual Business Plan Competition, which for years has served as an "American Idol" for final-frontier ventures. During the competition, entrepreneurs get up and give a five- to eight-minute pitch for their business plan - whether it be for balloon-based, near-space platforms or for orbital sports complexes. Experienced venture capitalists serve as the judges and give out a cash award for the best business plan, but the biggest prize is the notice that well-founded ventures could receive from potential investors.

Decision on Dawn Spacecraft Launch is Postponed (Source: Pasadena Star News)
Florida's stormy skies have led NASA administrators to postpone deciding the fate of the JPL-managed Dawn mission for yet another day. After a series of small mechanical problems last month, NASA officials had planned to determine Tuesday whether they would delay the craft's launch until fall. But although Dawn and its Delta II launch rocket now have a clean bill of health, summer thunderstorms are calling into question the feasibility of a July 7 departure for the asteroid-visiting craft.