September 21 News Items

Lawmakers, Bidders Threaten New Satellite Work (Source: Wall Street Journal)
A pair of multibillion-dollar, next-generation military satellite projects appear to be jeopardized by congressional budget cuts and jockeying by rivals Boeing and Lockheed Martin to extend existing programs. The latest problems are serious enough that the military's most-advanced satellite programs may be significantly delayed or put off indefinitely, said Gary Payton, the Air Force's top space acquisition official. If lawmakers continue to funnel funds toward current versions of communications and navigation satellites, "that's a death spiral for both" of the new programs, he said.

Weldon Hosts House Aerospace Caucus (Source: AIA)
Rep. Dave Weldon (R-Fla.), co-chairman of the House Aerospace Caucus, co-hosted a meeting with AIA last week and delivered opening remarks underlining the importance of long-term funding for aerospace programs. NASA Administrator Michael Griffin participate and stressed the national security and economic benefits of space exploration. Boeing Integrated Defense Systems President and CEO James Albaugh applauded NASA's historical record in engineering process and technology innovation, noting that defense contractors rely on many of these breakthroughs in supporting today's war fighting requirements.

NASA Unveils Pressurized Rover (Source: Florida Today)
NASA officials say the agency's new rover will allow astronauts to putter around the Moon in the comfort of their shirtsleeves, requiring them to don spacesuits only if they need to leave the vehicle. "I call it a cross between a sports car and a spacesuit," said NASA astronaut Mike Gernhardt. Officials say the vehicles will allow researchers to explore the Moon without worrying about how far they are from an established base.

NASA Mars Odyssey Finds Possible Cave Skylights on Mars (Source: SpaceRef.com)
NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft has discovered entrances to seven possible caves on the slopes of a Martian volcano. The find is fueling interest in potential underground habitats and sparking searches for caverns elsewhere on the Red Planet.

Colorado Company Earns NOAA Contract (Source: The Coloradoan)
Riverside Technology Inc., a Colorado engineering and consulting firm, was awarded a $115 million contract by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to support NOAA's National Environmental Satellite, Data and Information Service. Riverside will manage and operate environmental satellite programs. The satellites provide uninterrupted flow of data about the Earth's weather, atmosphere and oceans, which is used to monitor hurricanes and rainstorms around the world.

Beast of a Fight Ahead Over Galileo Funding (Source: EE Times)
Differences between member states could scupper the European Union's plans to salvage funding for the ill fated Galileo satellite navigation system after private companies earlier this year decided not to back the project as originally intended. French plans, backed by some other countries, to bail out the Galileo project with a $3 billion raid on the EU farming budget are being strongly resisted by other countries, notably the U.K. and Germany. The European Commission said it could move money within the bloc's 2007-2013 budget to come up with $3.3 billion needed to bail out Galileo, as well as $427 million to start up the planned European Institute of Technology.

But critics fear the attempt to seize spare taxpayers' cash after private investors pulled out would break every budgetary rule in the book and set an alarming precedent. Galileo was conceived seven years ago as a rival to the U.S. operated Global Positioning S system and touted as a key high-technology venture for the EU. But it stalled earlier this year after a group of eight companies charged with developing the system disagreed on how to share out work and failed to make headway.

NASA Helps Wipe Away Worries About Germs (Source: SpaceDaily.com)
Fresh fruits and vegetables have been in demand by orbiting astronauts since the early days of the space shuttle. But fresh produce can create a queasy bouquet in a closed space environment as it ages past its prime. NASA has helped develop a product that thoroughly cleanses fruits and vegetables being sent into space, helping to increase their shelf life. Meanwhile, this product is ripe for the picking for consumers on Earth. NASA teamed with Microcide, Inc., of Michigan, to develop a nontoxic, biodegradable, microbicidal product to disinfect fresh fruit and vegetables for Space Shuttle crews. The product -- PRO-SAN -- is safe, stable and biodegradable for use in space. To offset the challenges of zero gravity, NASA and Microcide created the powder concentrate as a water-soluble package. Once dropped in water, the packet dissolves and creates a ready-to-use sanitizer.

India Seeking Russian Help to Join ISS Project (Source: Hindu News)
India has sought the help of Russia to join the orbital International Space Station (ISS) project in the face of "objection by some other project partners", a top Russian space agency official said. "India has approached us, this (India) is a serious space power and would like to join ISS project. However, objection by some other project partners has put a question mark on this issue," Russia's Federal Space Agency (RKA) Chief Anatoly Perminov said responding to a question about the expansion of the ISS project participants. Besides Russian RKA, the ambitious ISS project includes the NASA of the USA, Canada, Japan and European Space Agency (ESA). "I won't identify, who is concretely blocking India's entry, but they argue that the number of participants of the project is set by the international treaties and is enough to complete the construction of the orbital station," Perminov told reporters at a news conference.

Sierra County Commission Takes Step Toward Spaceport District (Source: Las Cruces Sun-News)
Sierra County commissioners approved a resolution allowing the county manager to work toward a spaceport tax district, an entity that must be in place under state law to spend any spaceport tax dollars. The commission's decision, however, might have limited weight, considering the county hasn't yet held a spaceport sales tax election. Some have contended state law doesn't allow counties to join a spaceport tax district until their voters approve a spaceport sales tax. But, the New Mexico Spaceport Authority has argued the statute allows a county to join a spaceport district before an election, though voters eventually would have to approve a tax to remain in the district. State law requires that a district be made up of at least two counties, but so far, only Doña Ana County has held and election and approved a spaceport tax.

Space Integral To Military, General Says (Source: Aerospace Daily)
As U.S. dependence and reliance on space grows, the development community has a "serious obligation" to deliver on its commitments, an Air Force lieutenant general said. "Truly space has become integral to every aspect of what we do in military operations today," Lt. Gen. Michael Hamel said. The ability of U.S. forces to know what's happening in space is "critical" to having assured mission capability, he said. "Space situational awareness (SSA) is now the means by which we intend to knit all those capabilities Air Force Space Command has been conducting a review of space situational awareness assets, many of which are a legacy of the Cold War, particularly in terms of sensors.

E'Prime Legal Problems Put Company Control in Limbo (Source: ERAU)
Lawsuits filed over a funding dispute surrounding the sale of Titusville-based E'Prime Aerospace Corp. are clouding an already fuzzy outlook for the aspiring launch service provider. A Tennessee lawsuit filed by James Oldham, who took control of the company from Bobby Davis in a stock purchase deal, was filed in response to an Orlando lawsuit filed by Davis. Oldham seeks to cancel certain payments to Davis on the grounds that Davis misrepresented the company's competitive and legal viability, and services Davis claimed to have provided for the company and its subsidiaries. Davis' lawsuit seeks payment beyond the amount originally agreed upon in the Oldham purchase deal. Oldham failed to appear for an Orlando court date and was ordered to pay Davis a total of $4,385,260.46. The outcome of the Tennessee lawsuit is still pending.

E'Prime in the 1980s launched what was then referred to as the first commercial launch from the Cape Canaveral spaceport. The small suborbital rocket carried mementos and items that were offered for sale. The company later gained access to deactivated Peacekeeper missile production hardware and has attempted to develop a family of "Eagle" launch vehicles based on the Peacekeeper system. Among the complaints against Bobby Davis is that he claimed to have Federal approval to commercially market the missile-derived launch vehicle technology when he in fact did not. Under Oldham, the company has relocated offices to the Washington DC area and is working to gain Federal clearance, attract customers, and obtain financing. E'Prime recently announced a partnership with a propulsion company and plans to launch from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport.