October 18 News Items

ATK Seeks Growth Through $2.5 Billion Foreign Buyout (Source: AP)
Alliant Techsystems Inc., a maker of weapons and ammunition, is considering at least eight companies as potential acquisition targets in order to expand into the satellite, alternative energy or commercial aerospace markets. Alliant CEO Daniel J. Murphy did not disclose the names of the buyout targets, but said one potential deal to expand the company's foreign operations in commercial aerospace and advanced materials could be valued at up to $2.5 billion. The remaining acquisitions will be valued around $500 million apiece and will be integrated into the company's three main business segments: ammunition, weapons and satellite launch systems.

Designing a Rocket Ride Into Suborbit (Source: CNET News)
Before Virgin Group mogul Richard Branson hired him to design a futuristic tourist rocket ship, Richard Seymour's only experience in the market was dreaming up spacecraft for the movies. Seymour said that his U.K. design company Seymourpowell, is designing the interior of the craft and the space suits that tourists will wear on their two-hour suborbital flights with Virgin Galactic. Having already sold out its first flight at $200,000 per passenger, Branson's company is planning its first commercial launch for 2008. Seymour said that tourists will actually spend four of five days on the holiday, at Spaceport America (the launch hub). People must train in the spaceship White Knight for at least two days, learning things like "how to keep your breakfast down" at 5 Gs. Rocketing into space and back takes only a few minutes each way in the two-hour trip, a jarring experience if you're not used to it, he said.

NASA to Open New Competition for Space Transportation Seed Money (Source: NASA)
NASA will conduct a new competition for funding that remains in NASA's Commercial Orbital Transportation Services Project, known as COTS. The new competition follows NASA's decision to terminate its funded agreement with aerospace firm Rocketplane Kistler. "NASA remains fully committed to the COTS Project," said Alan Lindenmoyer, who as manager of the Commercial Crew and Cargo Program Office oversees the COTS Project. "We'll be releasing a synopsis for the new competition Friday and the full announcement for a new round of industry proposals on Monday."

Companies will have 30 days to respond to Monday's announcement, and NASA intends to enter into one or more new COTS agreements early next year. Companies that are U.S. commercial providers will be eligible. COTS provides seed money to companies when they reach performance milestones to help them design and develop space transportation capabilities that could pave the way for private cargo deliveries to the International Space Station. Of the $206.8 million NASA agreed to invest in Rocketplane Kistler, the company received a total of $32.1 million. The remaining $174.7 million will be offered to aerospace firms in a new competition. NASA's current funded COTS partner, SpaceX, is current on all of its financial and technical milestones. NASA also has unfunded COTS agreements with five other companies. Visit http://www.nasa.gov/directorates/esmd/ccc for information.

Two Florida Teams Are Finalists for Award at X-Prize Cup (Source: NSS)
Two student-led Florida teams are among ten finalists for the Pete Conrad Spirit of Innovation Award, to be presented at the X-Prize Cup in New Mexico next week. Their ideas will be on display at the event. The award is for teams of high school students who develop ideas that could accelerate the personal spaceflight industry. Winners will be chosen by popular vote and announced at the closing ceremonies on Oct. 28. The first place team will receive a $5,000 grant, followed by $2,500 for second place and $1,500 for third. The two Florida teams include: SEDS-UCF of Orlando and their conceptualized a permanent space settlement to support all other space missions, through manufacturing and research; and Three Tekna Theos Girls of Orange Park for their designs for a device to accurately chronicle the journey of a space traveler. Good luck!

Florida Teachers to Attend Embry-Riddle "TeachSpace" Workshop at Spaceport (Source: ERAU)
Thirty science/math teachers from Volusia, Seminole, Osceola, and Manatee Counties will attend a TeachSpace workshop at the Cape Canaveral Spaceport, as part of the lead-up to the World Space Expo. The workshop is supported by SpaceTEC, with sponsorship by the Florida Space Grant Consortium and Space Florida. Some of the participating teachers will be selected for upcoming "Hawking Center" weightless flights aboard ZERO-G's G-Force One aircraft.

Space Florida Making Progress (Source: Florida Today)
Space Florida, the Brevard-based public agency charged with developing the state's space business, has submitted an annual performance report detailing progress on important initiatives, including advocay for more state spending on space activities; agreements with NASA and the Air Force for launch/landing studies and facility access; reviews of potential alternative horizontal-launch spaceport sites in Florida; and grants for workforce, education and research programs.

SpaceTEC Unveils New Website with Certification Info (Source: SpaceTEC)
In advance of a national partners meeting at the Cape Canaveral Spaceport next week, the SpaceTEC center for aerospace technical training and certification has unveiled its new website, including information on obtaining a SpaceTEC certification. Visit http://www.spacetec.org for information.

China Reveals Space Plans (Source: SpaceDaily.com)
China has revealed its plans for space -- including space walking, spacecraft docking and the setting up of a space laboratory before 2010. The government would also give priority to developing an earth observation system using satellites, aircraft and airships, according to a blueprint approved by the State Council, or the cabinet. The document, part of China's 11th five-year plan for space development, said China would improve a navigation system that is based on plans to launch dozens of satellites. Apart from launching the country's first lunar orbiter at the end of this month, China would also study the second and third stages of its moon exploration projects. Officials earlier said China is also planning to land a human on the moon and to make a series of robotic missions with a view to building a base there after 2020.

Orbital Reports Third Quarter 2007 Financial Results (Source: Orbital)
Orbital Sciences Corporation's third quarter revenues increased 46% to $289.5 million in 2007, compared to $197.8 million in 2006. The company's third quarter operating income rose 54% to $23.2 million in 2007, compared to $15.1 million in 2006. Third quarter net income increased 84% to $15.7 million in 2007, compared to $8.5 million in 2006.

Spaceflight Participant or Astronaut? (Source: Electric New Paper)
Ask any patriotic Malaysian and he would say his countryman now orbiting the Earth is truly an astronaut or angkasawan, the Malay word for astronaut. But ever since the US space agency NASA described Dr. Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor as a spaceflight participant, the blogs have been buzzing. The NASA comment riled many Malaysians. Malaysia's Science, Techology and Innovations Minister, Datuk Seri Jamaludin Jarjis, told Bernama that Dr Muszaphar would be recognized as a cosmonaut - the Russian equivalent of the astronaut - next month. NASA described the Malaysian as a 'spaceflight participant... flying under contract with the Russian Federal Space Agency'. The Malaysian minister told journalists: 'The Russians themselves had told our man that he is a cosmonaut, and that's the end of the story.'

Water on Mars: Look Just Below the Surface (Source: The Star)
Ingenious detective work by University of Guelph researchers has uncovered the strongest evidence yet of large reservoirs of water today at the Martian surface. The water isn't a liquid, but is chemically bound up in a white layer of mineral salts located only a penny's thickness below the planet's characteristic red surface. The iron and sulphur compound that makes up this white layer contains as much as 18 per cent water by weight, says Iain Campbell, a retired University of Guelph physics professor who led the research. The chemically trapped water is most likely what's left from surface water pools that evaporated, the researchers speculate.

SpaceX Successfully Completes NASA Design Review Space Station Support (Source: SpaceX)
SpaceX has successfully completed the Critical Design Review (CDR) for its first Falcon 9 / Dragon mission as part of the NASA Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) demonstration program. SpaceX hosted a group of over forty top level NASA representatives and key SpaceX customers for a review of the design of the Falcon 9 rocket, Dragon spacecraft and associated ground systems for the first COTS demonstration mission.

Three weeks prior to the review, SpaceX submitted more than 480 design documents to NASA for detailed review by its experts. At the review, twenty six speakers gave thirty two presentations on over two dozen different topics including aerodynamics, propulsion, communication, ground processing, flight operations, recovery and more. The event was held in the 60 ft tall high bay at SpaceX's new 550,000 square foot (51,000 sq. m.) headquarters in Hawthorne, California, a facility formerly used to build Boeing 747 fuselage sections. On display were several pieces of Falcon 9 hardware and tooling, a full sized engineering model of the Dragon spacecraft, and the new Merlin 1C engine developed by SpaceX.