November 26 News Items

Spain Accuses Germany and Italy of Blocking Galileo Role (Source: SpaceDaily.com)
Spain has accused Germany and Italy of seeking to prevent Madrid from playing a leading role in the Galileo satellite-navigation project. "There is political obstruction by Germany and Italy to Spain playing a prominent role" in Galileo, according to a document by the ministry of public works seen by the El Mundo newspaper. "This political obstruction is done with the connivance of the European Commission and the European Space Agency, which aim to bring the project to a conclusion and are ready to not respect the rules in order not to offend these two countries," it said. The document is dated several months ago, but El Mundo quoted sources close to the issue as saying it remains valid.

China Denies Plans for Manned Moon Mission (Source: Computing)
The head of China's space agency has confirmed that his country has no plans to put a man on the Moon. Sun Laiyan, chief of the China National Space Administration, said that the hurdles to manned space exploration are too great for the time being, and that his agency will concentrate on mechanical exploration. "I have read reports by foreign media saying that China would carry a manned Moon landing in 2020, but I do not think there has been such a plan," Sun said. "So far, our Moon mission only includes unmanned probes. But I believe one day China will send its own astronauts to land on the Moon. I hope I can see it happen."

ESA Considers Lunar Lander, Other Proposals (Source: Flight International)
A lunar lander study that could lead to a 2011 start for a development program is being considered by the European Space Agency as a proposal for its 2008 ministerial conference. The lander work would be part of a wider post-2008 three-year system level design study examining an affordable space station, possibly with international collaboration. ESA has to consider developing specific technologies such as environmental control and life support systems and robotic elements for wider exploration missions anyway.

ESA is working with Russia's Federal Space Agency on a 15-month preparatory project for a four- or six-crew spacecraft called the Crew Space Transportation System and this could have a circumlunar flight capability. If the 2008 ministerial meeting gives the green light to a further development stage for CSTS then the lander, if approved, could one day operate in tandem with the new manned spacecraft.

NASA Manned Mars Mission Details Emerge (Source: Flight International)
A 400,000kg (880,000lb) Marship would be assembled in orbit using six Ares V cargo launch vehicle flights for a 900-day mission to the red planet, according to details that have emerged about NASA's new Constellation program's manned Mars mission. The spacecraft would take a "minimal crew" to Mars in six to seven months, with the crew spending up to 550 days on the surface, according to the program's design reference architecture 5.0, currently in development.

The Ares V rockets used to launch the Marship elements into low Earth orbit will need a 125,000kg payload capacity and use a 10m (32.7ft) fairing. Crews would be sent every 26 months, will need up to 50,000kg of cargo, use an aerodynamic and powered descent method and the 40-minute communications delay between Earth and Mars would require autonomy or at least asynchronous operation with mission control. Notionally launched in February 2031, the first crew's flight would be preceded by the cargo lander and surface habitat being sent in December 2028 and January 2029, respectively.

Watch Out For Flying Moondust (Source: SpaceDaily.com)
At Cape Canaveral, not far from the launch pad where the space shuttle lifts off, there's a ragged hole in a chain link fence. Its message: Watch out for flying boulders. "The powerful exhaust of the shuttle's solid rocket boosters blasts concrete out of the flame trench below the engines," explains physicist Phil Metzger of KSC. This is no problem as long as people and equipment are kept at a safe distance. Easily done at KSC, but what if all this was happening on the Moon?

There will be habitats, rovers, supply depots and mining equipment. Ships will be coming and going, landing and blasting off--and kicking up debris that might fly a lot farther than boulders at Cape Canaveral. At KSC's Granular Mechanics and Surface Systems Lab, Metzger is sweating the really small stuff--"moondust." On the Moon, small grit can travel enormous distances at high speeds, scouring everything in its path, including the reflective coating off thermal control blankets, roughen the surfaces of windows and other optics, compromise the surfaces of solar panels, and penetrate connectors or other mechanisms on digging machines or spacesuits, causing friction and even mechanical failure.

You can run, but you can't hide. Dust particles accelerated by a rocket's exhaust could theoretically travel all the way around the Moon! Now, Metzger is helping other teams of NASA engineers figure out how to mitigate the effects of lunar landings and takeoffs. One strategy might be to locate spaceports in places where mountains and hills serve as natural dust blockers. Artificial berms or other ingenious structures might offer a solution, too. Visit http://www.moondaily.com/reports/Watch_Out_For_Flying_Moondust_999.html for information.

What Space Startups Really Need (Source: Space Review)
The last several years has seen a surge in new space ventures, but most have found difficulty in attracting funding beyond individual "angel" investors. Rocky Persaud argues that what the industry needs is an incubator-like entity to help these new ventures mature. Visit http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1007/1 to view the article.

The Space Station: The Best of Times, The Worst of Times (Source: Space Review)
The latest shuttle mission and more recent work on the ISS have cleared the way for the launch of two key laboratory modules from Europe and Japan. Taylor Dinerman contends that now is the time to examine the long-term future of the station in order to maximize its value for all the partners. Visit http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1009/1 to view the article.