October 16 News Items

NASA Extends Operations For Its Long-Lived Mars Rovers (Source: SpaceDaily.com)
Washington DC (SPX) Oct 16, 2007 - NASA is extending, for a fifth time, the activities of the Mars Exploration Rovers, Spirit and Opportunity. The decision keeps the trailblazing mobile robotic pioneers active on opposite sides of Mars, possibly through 2009. This extended mission and the associated science are dependent upon the continued productivity and operability of the rovers.

China to Launch First Lunar Satellite Next Week (Source: Shanghai Daily)
China's first lunar satellite is scheduled to blast off next week from the Xichang spaceport in southwest China's Sichuan Province. "October 22 to 25 is the best period for the launch according to an analysis of weather, but the detailed time can't be revealed now," an official with the center said. The satellite, named "Chang'e" after the legendary Chinese goddess who flew to the moon, will orbit the Earth five to seven times before heading to the moon within 12 days. The satellite will orbit the moon for a year to conduct a string of tasks, such as obtaining 3D images of the lunar surface, analyzing the content of useful elements and materials and probing the depth of lunar soil.

SAIC Awarded NASA Moon Mission Facilities Contract (Source: SAIC)
SAIC subsidiary Benham Companies LLC has been awarded a $51.4 million contract by NASA to design, engineer and build two testing facilities. Both facilities will support development of the Orion spacecraft that will carry astronauts to the Space Station and the Moon in the next decade, and will be among the largest such facilities ever built. The period of performance of the contract is 18 months, with an additional six months of post-commissioning technical support. The two projects will be developed at the Space Power Facility at Plum Brook Station in Ohio, which is operated by NASA's Glenn Research Center.

China Hopes to Join Space Station Project (Source: Xinhua)
China hopes to become the 17th nation joining the International Space Station (ISS) project, Vice Minister of Science and Technology Li Xueyong said. "China sincerely wants to cooperate with the United States in space exploration and join the International Space Station project that has already involved 16 nations," said Li, a delegate to the 17th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC). The Chinese government has been pursuing a policy of peaceful use of airspace, Li said.

Royal Air Force Chief backs Call for UK Astronauts (Source: Flight International)
The head of the Royal Air Force has lent his support to calls for the UK to enter the world of manned spaceflight, identifying the sector as a key aspect of the second century of manned flight and a means of inspiring young people to join his service. “I would like to see an RAF astronaut in the not-too-distant future,” chief of the air staff Air Chief Marshal Sir Glenn Torpy said. “Space is an area where the UK needs more focus,” he added.

Amateurs Discover a Transiting Exoplanet (Source: Sky & Telescope)
An international network of astronomers has announced one of the most impressive discoveries ever made that involves amateurs. The group has found an extrasolar planet that crosses the face of its host star, an event known as a transit. Better yet, this object is unlike any of the 28 other known transiting exoplanets. The planet orbits the 8th-magnitude Sun-like star HD 17156, located 250 light-years away in northern Cassiopeia. It smashes not one, but two records for transiting exoplanets. It goes around its star every 21.2 days, much longer than the previous record holder at 5.66 days. It also has by far the most highly elongated orbit, with an eccentricity of 0.67.

Scarce Jobs in Astronomy: A Cosmic Shame? (Source: Fox News)
It's easy to wish upon a star — but if you want to make a living studying them, things get quite a bit tougher. Take a look at any astronomy-themed Web site, or tune in to a science television program, and you're sure to be dazzled by the wonders of the universe. Black holes! Dark matter! Colliding galaxies! What you won't hear is what many graduate and post-doctoral students in astronomy today know all too well — permanent, tenure-track jobs in the field are rare. The American Astronomical Society has a membership of 6,500, a modest figure to begin with. But, as its Web site states, that number "includes physicists, mathematicians, geologists, engineers and others whose research interests lie within the broad spectrum of subjects now comprising contemporary astronomy." Each year, American universities graduate around 125 new Ph.D. astronomers into a job market, with a considerably lower number of tenure-track positions.

Delta Launch Team Relies on Experience (Source: Florida Today)
When Chris Bruce isn't keeping his 19-year-old daughter's car running, he's using his considerable mechanical ability to lead the team of technicians preparing the third stage of Delta 2 rockets for launch. The GPS IIR-17 launch from Complex 17A on Wednesday morning will be the latest of nearly 50 rockets on which the 45-year-old Mims resident has worked. Working conditions are tough. The good-natured ribbing between his colleagues at United Launch Alliance, who also are his golfing buddies, often rises to a level of nastiness that only the thick-skinned and steel-nerved can bear. There is one consolation. "What goes around comes around," he said, showing a good-natured grin. "What you've dished out the day before, you're receiving the next day." The constant needling and trading of verbal jabs keeps the crew on their toes, he added. Oddly, it also makes for a good work environment.

NASA KSC Manager Talks Space in Arkansas (Source: NWAnews.com)
Joe Dowdy, special operations manager for NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, encouraged an audience at the University of Arkansas on Monday to watch the next space shuttle launch “with a sense of childlike wonder.” He advised them to travel to Florida, to witness a launch in person, to feel the air pulse and to see the waters ripple as the shuttle propels toward space. “It hits you in your chest — to your very core,” he said. “There’s nothing like it.” Dowdy, a Little Rock native, spoke about the future of the U. S. space program to students, faculty and staff in the Willard J. Walker Hall auditorium on the Fayetteville campus.