November 13 News Items

Russia, India to Join in Moon Mission (Source: AFP)
The leaders of veteran allies Russia and India agreed Monday to launch a joint unmanned mission to the moon during Kremlin talks on boosting military and trade ties. Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh announced the plan after talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin during which the two discussed projects for a more than twofold increase in trade by the end of the decade. "The symbol of our cooperation is the joint agreement to send an unpiloted space ship to the moon for scientific investigation," Singh said in comments broadcast on Russian state television after the meeting. "Russia and India will jointly build a space ship. Under the project we plan to send an entire laboratory to the moon," Roskosmos head Anatoly Perminov said in a statement.

Satellites Still on Ground after Arianespace Snags (Source: The Register)
The UK armed forces' Skynet 5B military communications satellite, which was due to be launched on Friday night, has suffered a second delay over the weekend and remains on the ground in French Guiana. A revised launch date and time are not yet available. Skynet 5B was to join the 5A spacecraft launched earlier this year, completing the British forces' satellite coverage of nearly two-thirds of the world. There will also be an on-orbit spare, Skynet 5C, but the system will be fully operational once the second satellite is up. The original launch was delayed by an electronics problem in the Ariane 5 rocket aboard which the satellite is to travel into space (along with a Brazilian satellite). Now a second hitch has arisen, related to pipework in the launch pad.

NASA Evaluating Spacesuit Problem - EVAs on Hold (Source: NasaSpaceFlight.com)
Cut gloves during STS-120 and a failed EMU (Extravehicular Mobility Unit) test are undergoing large scale evaluations by NASA engineers, with a resolution to the latter required before any further spacewalks will be allowed. Testing of one EMU, inside the giant pressurized chamber at the Johnson Space Center (JSC) in Houston, was halted after a smell of smoke was noted.

Astronauts Ready Space Station For New Equipment (Source: Houston Chronicle)
Astronauts aboard the international space station used a robot arm as a construction crane on Monday to move a docking port for the shuttle. It was the latest in a series of steps to prepare the station for the installation of European and Japanese science laboratories. Astronauts moved the 3,000-pound docking device from the front of the station's U.S.-made laboratory module, its location since early 2001, to the front of the new Harmony module that was ferried by the recent Discovery flight. During a similar operation on Wednesday, astronauts will hoist Harmony with the docking device back to the front of the U.S. lab. During two spacewalks planned for later this month, the astronauts will connect Harmony and the docking device into the station's electrical power grid and cooling network.

German Chancellor Says Galileo Financing Plan to be Drafted Soon (Source: SpaceDaily.com)
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Monday that France and Germany wanted to present detailed proposals soon on how to finance the faltering European satellite navigation system Galileo. "We agreed to not push back indefinitely" questions about the system, Merkel told a press conference held with visiting French President Nicolas Sarkozy.