August 7 News Items

NASA Working to Keep Workforce Talent (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
At Monday's Endeavour pre-launch briefing, NASA shuttle-program manager Wayne Hale was looking ahead: "As the program winds down, we want to retain our critical people." NASA is using a combination of financial incentives, employee recognition and career plotting to show thousands of key workers they have a future in the new program, which will replace the 26-year-old shuttle program, he said.

Lockheed Martin Delays Commercial Launch by Six Weeks (Source: ICO)
ICO Global Communications announced that Lockheed Martin has postponed an upcoming ICO month-long launch slot approximately six weeks: from Nov. 1-30 to Dec. 15 - Jan. 15. Lockheed Martin expects that the Eastern Range will identify a date of January 7 or 8 for the launch. Lockheed Martin has indicated that the reason for the postponement is that United Launch Alliance has revised its launch manifest due to a minor Atlas launch anomaly investigation and attendant resolution, coupled with unforeseen spacecraft processing issues that caused delays to the Atlas launches earlier in 2007.

NASA Retools for Moon Trip (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
Pad 39B is where an Orion capsule perched on an Ares I rocket is supposed to launch in 2014, kicking off the Constellation program that will return man to the moon. NASA's aging shuttle fleet is not scheduled for retirement until September 2010, but the agency has not waited to start the transition. The first test flight of an Ares rocket is scheduled for April 2009. At KSC, Launch Pad 39B still belongs to the shuttle, but plans are under way to modify it. Once the shuttle program ends, pad 39A will be converted to handle the larger Ares V Cargo Launch Vehicle.

Renovations at the Launch Control Center are in full swing too, with Firing Room 1 already gutted for Constellation. With pressure to control the costs of the new program, Constellation will try to make use of as much of the shuttle infrastructure as possible. The massive 525-foot-tall Vehicle Assembly Building, where shuttle components are put together, will be used for Constellation as well. Interior changes will allow access to the rocket and capsule at the right places. The crawlers that move shuttles 31/2 miles to the launch pad, beefed up to handle the weight of an Ares V, also will be used for Constellation.

In another facility down the road, the aluminum skirt at the bottom of the shuttle's solid rocket boosters is being modified for use on the first Ares test flight. Nearby a building once used for the Apollo moon program is being converted by the state to manufacture the Orion capsule, an Apollo look-alike but large enough to carry up to six astronauts into space. And at the Parachute Refurbishment Facility, parachutes from shuttle missions are being repaired, tested and repacked side by side with new parachutes for Ares rockets. Visit http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/space/orl-constellation0707aug07,0,2322745.story to view the article.

Louisiana Governor is Guest for Shuttle Launch (Source: Shreveport Times)
Gov. Kathleen Blanco will attend the launch of the space shuttle Endeavour at the Cape Canaveral Spaceport scheduled for Wednesday. The governor and Louisiana Economic Development Secretary Michael Olivier were invited to observe the launch by NASA Administrator Michael Griffin in appreciation of the governor's and the Legislature's support for NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility's Constellation program.

Iridium Announces Development Partners for 'NEXT' Satellites (Source: Iridium)
Iridium has contracted with seven key partners in the beginning phase of designing and developing its "Iridium NEXT" satellite constellation. These first partners -- Avaliant, Boeing, General Dynamics, KinetX, MicroSat Systems, Inc. (MSI) and Trident Sensors -- will work with Iridium on systems engineering, requirements definition and architecture development. Today's Iridium constellation provides the only mobile voice/data satellite service covering the entire earth. NEXT will offer high-bandwidth data to voice and short messaging services, enabling new applications for commercial and government users. Iridium will also engineer the network to support communications with other space-based assets.

ILS to Launch Inmarsat Satellite on Proton Vehicle Next Spring (Source: ILS)
International Launch Services and Inmarsat announced a contract for launch of the Inmarsat 4-F3 satellite on a Proton Breeze M vehicle in early 2008. Launch from the Baikonur spaceport in Kazakhstan is planned for the March-April time period. Financial terms were not disclosed. The Enhanced Proton has the capability to lift payloads exceeding 6 metric tons.

Florida Executives Look Forward to DayJet Launch (Source: AIA)
DayJet, a startup airline that will serve small airports in Florida with a fleet of very light jets, has gotten the attention of area business leaders before its planes have even left the ground. Corporate fliers hope the commercial carrier will be a good alternative to expensive charter flights.

Romney Talks Space (Source: ERAU)
During a luncheon on the Space Coast, presidential hopeful Mitt Romney expressed his support for space exploration as a national requirement to maintain U.S. technological leadership. He noted, however, that President Bush's Vision for Space Exploration may not be the same as one he would pursue if elected. He also advocated an 'Apollo-like' energy program aimed at reducing national dependence on foreign oil.

Orion Landings to be Splashdowns - KSC Buildings to be Demolished (Source: NasaSpaceFlight.com)
NASA Constellation and Lockheed Martin have deleted the airbag landing system from the next Orion design cycle (Orion 607) in a weight saving measure, opting to return to an Apollo-style splashdown for the vehicle's end of mission. Meanwhile, a list of shuttle facilities at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) that will be demolished between 2010 and 2012 - including all three Orbiter Processing Facilities (OPFs) - has been produced.

Evaluations have concluded that all three OPF's will be demolished between 2010 and 2012, in addition to the Hypergol Maintenance Facility (HMF) and SSME (Space Shuttle Main Engine) work shop. At the Shuttle Landing Facility, the shuttle specific landing aids will be taken down in addition to the Orbiter Mate-Demate Device. Some facilities that may be modified to support Constellation include the STS Flight Simulator (Orion simulators), Space Station Processing Facility (Station support until de-orbit and possible use for Orion processing), and the Payload Canister Rotation Facility. Their fates are currently classed as 'undecided.'

NASA Disputes Report on Orion Landing Approach (Source: NASA Watch)
There are some reports and rumors circulating that NASA has decided to redesign the Orion spacecraft to land in water only - and not on land with airbags. According to a short statement from NASA PAO to NASAWatch.com - one corroborated with ESMD (specifically, with ESMD Deputy AA Doug Cooke): "NASA has not abandoned the concept of land re-entries. The decision has not been made."

Russia’s Oligarchs Eager to Join the Space League (Source: Kommersant)
Russia’s Federal Space Agency, Roskosmos, is going through a few applications of wealthy Russians willing to become space tourists. The first Russian may go off on the space journey as the self-funded tourist already in the fall of next year. The person's name will be known no sooner than financial terms of the flight are approved. Space Adventures has already booked two flights for foreign space tourists at Soyuz spaceships to be launched in the fall of 2008 and 2009. Not long ago, Space Adventures CEO Eric Anderson announced that his company had a few potential candidates for self-funded space tourism, but there were no Russians on his list.

NASA, Microsoft Launch Collaboration With Immersive Photography (Source: NASA)
NASA and Microsoft have released an interactive, 3-D photographic collection of the space shuttle Endeavour preparing for its mission to the International Space Station. People around the world can view hundreds of high resolution photographs of Endeavour, Launch Pad 39A, and the Vehicle Assembly Building in a unique 3-D viewer. The online experience uses hundreds of photographs and a photo imaging technology called Photosynth. Using a click-and-drag interface, viewers can zoom in to see intimate details of the shuttle booster rockets or zoom out for a more global view of the launch facility. The software uses photographs from standard digital cameras to construct a 3-D view that can be navigated and explored online. Visit http://labs.live.com.