October 10 News Items

Sen. Obama, I Love Mars and I Vote (Source: WIRED)
Obama's speech ended to rapturous applause, and the rock-star candidate began working the line, shaking hands and signing books across the barricade. Carberry was in position. Over the Stevie Wonder song blasting from the sound system, Carberry blurted out his question. "I'm with a group called the Mars Society, and we'd like to know: Do you support the policy of journeying back to the moon and going on to Mars?" Without a blink, Obama was ready. "I'm inspired by the idea of going to Mars," he replied, projecting friendly sincerity. "I'm also mindful of the budgetary constraints. So I won't give you an answer right now." Carberry followed up -- could he give him some reading material, and make an appointment to speak with someone from his policy team? "Absolutely." The folder was passed off to one of Obama's staff, and the candidate moved on. Visit http://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/news/2007/10/mars_voter to view the article.

Annual NASA-Sponsored Business Expo Set for Oct. 16 (Source: NASA)
Business leaders who want to better understand how to contract with the government can attend Business EXPO 2007 on Oct. 16 at Port Canaveral's Cruise Terminal No. 4. Admission is free and open to the public. The annual trade show, which is sponsored by the NASA Kennedy Space Center Small Business Council, 45th Space Wing and Canaveral Port Authority, will feature more than 175 business and government exhibitors from Brevard County and across the country. Government purchasing agents also may want to attend the EXPO to learn what local and national vendors have to offer.

Exhibitors will include vendors from a variety of product and service areas, including computer technology, communication equipment and services, construction and safety products. Representatives of NASA, the 45th Space Wing, Kennedy Space Center prime contractors, local chambers of commerce, and others will be available to give out information and answer specific questions about doing business with their respective organizations. For more information about the EXPO and points of contact, visit http://expo.ksc.nasa.gov.

Wiring Blamed for Proton Failure (Source: SpaceToday.net)
Russian investigators have identified faulty wiring as the cause of the launch failure of a Proton rocket last month. Anatoly Perminov, head of the Russian space agency Roskosmos, said a "faulty control wire" prevented the second stage of the Proton from separating properly from the first stage, causing the vehicle to plummet to Earth, crashing 40 kilometers from the Kazakh town of Zhezkazgan. Perminov said engineers have developed a way to prevent the problem from occurring in future launches. Russia plans to use a Proton to launch three GLONASS navigation satellites in late October, depending on the ability of Russia to work out compensation to Kazakhstan for the failure; the Kazakh government is asking for $60 million in reparations for the accident. It is not certain when the Proton will resume commercial missions. The September 6 failure destroyed a US-built Japanese communications satellite, JCSAT-11.

FUSE Mission to End This Month (Source: SpaceToday.net)
An orbiting ultraviolet observatory will shut down later this month after more than eight years of observations, project officials announced this week. The Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer (FUSE) spacecraft was launched into Earth orbit in 1999 on a mission to study everything from planets to distant galaxies at far ultraviolet wavelengths. the spacecraft has weathered a number of technical malfunctions that started in 2001 when two of its four momentum wheels, needed to point the spacecraft, failed. Engineers created modified control systems to allow the spacecraft to operate with two and, later, only one control wheel, but the last control wheel on the spacecraft failed in July and could not be restored. FUSE will be formally decommissioned on October 18 after engineers complete work to shut down the spacecraft.

Germany Questions Satellite Funding (Source: Business Week)
The EU finance ministers reported no progress Tuesday in salvaging Europe's Galileo satellite navigation project -- a rival to the U.S.-run Global Positioning System -- with Germany questioning the final price tag. Germany opposes a European Commission proposal to use $3.4 billion in unspent EU agricultural and administrative funds after private money for Galileo dried up when eight companies disagreed on how to share the work. Britain and the Netherlands also oppose using the EU budget to bail out the Galileo project but say the money should come from the EU's research and development program. The EU has already spent $1.4 billion on Galileo.

Editorial: Congress Should Give NASA What it Needs as the Space Race Heats Up (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
Now, with other nations set to challenge U.S. space leadership, senators have taken an important step toward maintaining it. Last week the Senate voted to add $1 billion to next year's budget for NASA, which would raise its overall funding to $18.5 billion. The additional money would replenish, belatedly, accounts the agency had to tap in the costly process of rehabilitating the space-shuttle program after the Columbia disaster in 2003. Co-sponsors of the bipartisan bid to reimburse NASA included Florida's two senators, Democrat Bill Nelson and Republican Mel Martinez. Advocates of the $1 billion boost will need first to persuade the House to go along, and then the increase faces a veto threat from President Bush. He has finally decided to hold the line on spending now that Democrats are in charge in Congress.

Mr. Bush reportedly objects to the boost for the space agency as well as the overall cost of the measure in which it's included, which also has money for the Justice and Commerce departments. Congress could blunt that threat and be more fiscally responsible by cutting spending on lower-priority programs to cover the NASA increase, or by raising the additional funds by eliminating tax loopholes. Keeping the United States ahead in space exploration is a smart investment in science, technology and economic growth.

Hawaii's Space Race (Source: KHNL)
While Hawaii observatories look up to the skies, things are also looking up for space partnerships and development here in the islands. In addition to NASA showing interest in the state, by setting up 5 centers for research, aerospace companies are also taking a look at Hawaii as they expand around the pacific. And the islands could also become a player in the latest space race. Under the state's ambitious plan, Honolulu International Airport would become a spaceport. And that would have more than just jets taking off, it would allow space planes to take off and land. "I think aerospace could be one of the biggest drivers for the state's economy for years to come. I believe our destiny is in space and Hawaii has a lot to contribute." adds Crisafulli. In addition to the economic benefits from an expanded space program, there could also be additional education opportunities for students. Who would not only get access to top scientists, but also see science and technology at work, in a very exciting field.

Space Florida Misses Progress Report (Source: Florida Today)
Heard much about Space Florida, lately? No? Neither has anybody else. Including Gov. Crist. Space Florida is a public-private partnership launched last year to replace the state's three existing space agencies. Since then, there has been no shortage of critics of the group. The latest salvo: Space Florida has yet to file a report on its activities that was due to the governor and the legislature Sep. 1. A spokesman from the governor's office said the report hadn't made it to Tallahassee yet, but they expect it soon.

State Sen. Bill Posey, a Space Florida board member, said criticism of the agency is unfounded. "I think they are really making more headway than any of the other groups did." Posey added that much of the criticism is coming from those who were knocked from power when Space Florida took over the what had been three separate agencies.

Lost Shuttle Program, Lost Jobs (Source: Tallahassee Democrat)
Warning that Florida faces a recession with national-security implications when the shuttle program ends, U.S. Rep. Tom Feeney asked Gov. Charlie Crist Tuesday to use his influence with visiting presidential candidates to make sure the Space Coast stays in the technology forefront. "The Brevard County folks are really attentive to this - I don't want to say panicked, but they are very concerned," Feeney said. Crist said his administration will support workforce training and business incentives to keep and attract companies for the region, as well as impressing the importance of space on presidential contenders.

State Rep. Thad Altman said the area could lose 5,000 jobs directly, with a ''multiplier'' of 2.5 in businesses dependent on spending by those employees. "You could see 20,000 jobs lost in the state," he said. Lt. Gov. Kottkamp expressed confidence that many new or expanding high-tech industries will want the engineering and technological work force that is available around the Space Coast. "I really believe we'll be able to keep every job we have in the Space Coast and actually expand the job market with some of the opportunities that are coming down the road."

After Delay, Atlas 5 Ready at Launch From Florida Spaceport (Source: Florida Today)
Today's Atlas 5 launch is on schedule to loft a military communications satellite in a launch window from 8:22 to 9:33 p.m. EDT. "We are working no issues and the weather forecast is still 80 percent go for launch," said a ULA spokesman. If successful, the launch will orbit the first of five advanced military communications satellites. The first Wideband Global SATCOM satellite will provide as much communication power as the military's entire present system of ten satellites. U.S. tactical forces around the world will rely on WGS, which will provide computer information and video information from Predator drones.

Our View: Hillary Goes Cosmic (Source: Florida Today)
If Space Coast residents are looking for a presidential candidate who promises to rev up America's space program, one may have just emerged: Hillary Clinton. The Democratic contender became the first -- and only -- White House hopeful to stake out a strong pro-space position in a major policy statement last week. This is no small matter, with the U.S. facing increasing orbital competition from countries such as China, and with it serious national security concerns about whether America will cede the high ground it has dominated for a half-century.

In the statement, Clinton said "enhancing American leadership in space through investments in exploration, earth sciences, and aeronautics research" would be among her top scientific priorities. She cited these details on her Web site: 1) Pursuing an ambitious 21st-century strategy that includes robust human spaceflight and expanded robotic missions; 2) Full funding for NASA's Earth sciences program, with special emphasis on global warming; 3) Promoting American leadership in aeronautics by reversing funding cuts to NASA's aeronautics research and development budget.

Importantly, Clinton says she would speed the development, testing and launch of the new manned Orion moonship and Ares rocket fleet that will replace the shuttles, but won't start flying until 2015. She also says she would "capitalize on the expertise of the current shuttle program workforce" and "not allow a repeat of the brain drain" that occurred between the Apollo program's end and start of the shuttle. Both of those points are critical to Florida and the Space Coast, which will lose 3,000 to 5,000 [direct] jobs at Kennedy Space Center when the shuttles are retired in 2010. The economic hit could be $1 billion. Hopefully, Clinton's stance will cause more candidates to come forward with their ideas. That's particularly necessary in the key battleground state of Florida, which has so much to gain or lose from the choices the next president makes about space.

Feeney: Candidates Must Embrace Space (Source: Florida Today)
U.S. Rep. Tom Feeney urged Gov. Charlie Crist to get commitments from every visiting presidential candidate for support of space exploration. Feeney and state Rep. Thad Altman, R-Melbourne, visited with the governor to discuss state preparations for economic activity in the Space Coast area after the shuttle program concludes. They earlier met separately with legislative leaders. Crist and Lt. Gov. Jeff Kottkamp said the state administration will do all it can to keep federal programs going in the Central Florida and Atlantic coastal areas in the post-shuttle era. Feeney said national-defense uses of space technology are especially important, in view of China's development of new systems.

The Granddaddy of Space Colonization? (Source: Discover)
If Burt Rutan ever read science fiction, he might recognize himself. A strong-willed, technically skilled, maverick spaceship builder with a healthy disdain for bureaucracy and a libertarian streak a mile wide, the 64-year-old Rutan could have stepped from the pages of a Robert Heinlein novel. Rutan first came to fame in 1986 as the revolutionary designer of Voyager, the first airplane to circle the globe nonstop without refueling. No fewer than six Rutan-designed craft are in the Smithsonian’s aerospace collection, including his most famous design to date: SpaceShipOne. In 2004, SpaceShipOne was the first—and so far only—private manned spacecraft to fly above Earth’s atmosphere in a suborbital arc. Visit http://discovermagazine.com/2007/oct/the-granddaddy-of-space-colonization to view the article.

New Station Crew Blasts Off in Kazakhstan (Source: Florida Today)
A new crew is speeding toward the International Space Station after launch Wednesday aboard a Soyuz rocket at Baikonur spaceport in Kazakhstan. American astronaut Peggy Whitson, Russian cosmonaut Yuri Melenchenko and Shiekh Muszaphar Sukor, the first Malaysian to fly in space, are due to arrive at the outpost at 10:52 a.m. Friday.

Africans To Deploy Microsats (Source: Aviation Week)
The growing availability of inexpensive, high-performance satellite-based imaging systems is allowing an increasing number of small nations to acquire and leverage an independent remote sensing capability, and may even allow some to envision accessing more sensitive technologies that for now remain largely the purview of the U.S. and Israel. A case in point was an announcement at the International Astronautical Congress that four African nations plan to deploy a constellation of microsatellites to monitor water/land use, agriculture, forestry and other sustainable development parameters. The African Resource Management (ARM) network will be set up by Algeria, Nigeria, South Africa and Kenya. Each nation will contribute its own space and ground segment and agree to share data with the others.