December 6 News Items

Lunar X Prize - Collaborators Off and Running (Source: Space.com)
Astrobotic Technology, Inc. has chosen Raytheon to help chase down the Google Lunar X Prize and plan a lunar landing mission. Astrobotic plans to contract Raytheon for help with engineering management, lander design, and high bandwidth telecommunications for its lunar program. Raytheon will also focus on developing key technologies for advanced thrust controlled descent, ascent and movement, including automated topographic scene matching. Whittaker, also a leading professor of robotics at Carnegie Mellon University, formed Astrobotic Technology, Inc. with several colleagues as a privately held seed-stage company in November 2007. He plans to carry out the lunar mission as well as undertake potential commercial orbital transfer services and potential cis-lunar services.

Embry-Riddle Establishes McNair Scholars Program with Grant (Source: Orlando Business Journal)
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University now will offer a new education-outreach program designed to motivate and support students from disadvantaged backgrounds thanks to an $879,596 four-year grant from the U.S. Department of Education. Named for fallen Challenger astronaut Dr. Ronald McNair, the McNair Scholars Program prepares qualified undergraduate students for doctoral study, with the ultimate goal of increasing the number of underrepresented students obtaining doctorates.

NASA Scrubs Launch, Plans for Friday (Source: Florida Today)
NASA scrapped an attempt to launch Atlantis today after two fuel sensors in the shuttle's 15-story external tank failed during propellant-loading operations. NASA aims to pinpoint the cause of a fuel sensor failure and then make an attempt Friday afternoon to launch shuttle Atlantis on a mission to deliver the European Columbus science laboratory to the International Space Station. Liftoff would be targeted for 4:09 p.m. EST and the weather is expected to be favorable.

Hutchison Leaving Senate Space Post (Source: Aerospace Daily)
Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas) is stepping down as ranking member of the Senate space subcommittee to take a similar leadership post on the Senate's aviation subcommittee. Hutchison will take over the aviation panel's senior Republican post from Sen. Trent Lott (R-Miss.), who is retiring from the Senate later this month. Hutchison previously chaired the aviation panel when Republicans controlled the Senate. Sen. David Vitter (R-La.) will replace Hutchison as ranking member on the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee's space, aeronautics and related sciences subcommittee, which oversees NASA.

Hutchison, who will remain on that panel, has been a staunch supporter of NASA. Johnson Space Center is based in Houston. She has tried unsuccessfully, with Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-Md., chair of Senate Appropriations' science subcommittee) to add $1 billion to NASA's budget to help the agency recover from the lingering financial effects of the Columbia accident and Hurricane Katrina. Commercial aviation also plays an important role in Texas, with American Airlines and Southwest Airlines based in Dallas/Fort Worth and Continental Airlines headquartered in Houston.

Florida SBIR Statistical Update for 2006 (Sources: ERAU, SSTI)
The Federal Government's Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program provides some interesting statistical data to measure the success of Florida's high-tech economic development efforts. Between 2003 and 2006, Florida small businesses have submitted over 3,072 SBIR "Phase-1" proposals to federal agencies, resulting in 355 grant awards. The total number of Florida proposals submitted peaked in 2003 (at 807), and the number of winners peaked in 2004 (at 103). The state has been trying to increase the number of SBIR proposals submitted and grants won by Florida companies, but the trend data do not show favorable progress for 2005 and 2006.

During the four-year period, Florida companies submitted most of their proposals to DOD (2,098), followed by NIH (423), NASA (380), and the Dept. of Energy (160). A bright spot: Florida's win-rate for NASA proposals was highest in 2006 (12 wins out of 84 proposals). Other SBIR agencies included Dept. of Education, USDA, Commerce, Homeland Security, EPA, and the National Science Foundation. Visit http://www.ssti.org/Digest/Tables/120507t.htm to view nationwide statistics for 2006.

Florida Chamber Study Shows Improved Economic Diversification (Source: Florida Today)
The Florida Chamber of Commerce has issued a report highlighting increasing wages, and industrial diversification in the state, reducing economic reliance on lower-paying economic drivers, such as tourism and agriculture. The state's population, employment, and business output all increased at rates well above the national average, and the unemployment rate reached a historic low. Per capita income, wages, and productivity all are growing more rapidly than the national average. Florida's long-term prospects remain strong, particularly if progress continues in diversifying the economy with high-technology industries, such as life sciences and aerospace. Click here to view the report.

Palm Beach County Lures Aerospace Firms (Source: Sun-Sentinel)
Palm Beach County leaders say they are firing up economic development engines to attract more aerospace and aviation business. The area is rebounding from the 2001 exodus of 1,300 Pratt & Whitney engineers and hundreds of other high-tech jobs to Connecticut. Industry experts said the county's budding high-tech corridor plus start-up aviation businesses like DayJet in Boca Raton and new flight training centers at area high schools and colleges are good indications the county is ready when it comes to wooing space exploration businesses.

Steve Kohler, president of Space Florida, the quasi-government agency the Legislature established for overseeing commercial space exploits, told area leaders Wednesday that there's no reason why Palm Beach County businesses can't be a major part of both commercial space ventures and NASA's future. This area, he said, "is in a great position to capture more of this market."

Roughly 3,600 people are employed in Palm Beach County in aviation and aeronautics-related jobs. Pat Ritchie of Palm Beach Community College said the school's partnership with Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University provides flight education but also focuses on the operations and maintenance side of the aviation business where most of the jobs are to be had. At Boynton Beach Community High School, Embry-Riddle sponsors a program for 20 to 30 students who earn college credit with flight training and other aerospace and engineering courses.

Wind Postpones California Launch of Italian Satellite (Source: Lompoc Record)
A Delta 2 rocket team will try to launch an Italian satellite from Vandenberg Air Force Base today, after high-altitude winds forced the crew to scrub the first attempt Wednesday night, disappointing spectators on two continents. But more disappointment may be ahead as today's weather doesn't appear suitable for a launch either, according to forecasters.