December 9 News Items

NASA Postpones Shuttle Atlantis Launch Until January (Source: NASA)
The launch of space shuttle Atlantis has been rescheduled for no earlier than Jan. 2, 2008. The postponement will give engineers time to evaluate false readings from the engine cutoff sensor system that measures liquid hydrogen in the external tank. Of the four engine cutoff sensors, ECO sensor number three gave false readings during Sunday's launch attempt. The sensor system is one of several that protect the shuttle's main engines by triggering their shut down if fuel runs unexpectedly low.

NASA Plans Water Splashdown for Orion Capsules (Source: SpaceRef.com)
Despite official NASA statements that no final decision has been made to baseline a water landing for Orion, a Constellation Program briefing to JSC Engineering Management paints a far different picture: "Landing mode - Nominal coast water landing, contingency-only land landing, cease/desist working nominal land landing, landing accuracy increased form 5 km to 10 km.

Constellation Practice Run Before Mars Suggested (Source: Huntsville Times)
Before going to Mars, NASA may need to perform a dry-run by sending astronauts on a shorter voyage to orbit a near-Earth asteroid, a former space agency scientist said. The mission would be similar to the Christmas 1968 Apollo 8 mission to orbit the moon that taught NASA men could be sent safely to lunar orbit and return to the Earth, said Dr. Wes Huntress, a former NASA associate administrator for science.

"A near-Earth asteroid is a great intermediate destination that would allow NASA to check out the launch systems and crew vehicles, as well as set procedures," Huntress told a group of about 100 people at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center. "It would be a six-month, or even a year mission, but that's quick compared to a three-year or longer human voyage to Mars. "In the end it would give NASA confidence to go to another planet."

Atlas V Poised for Secret Mission from Cape Canaveral Spaceport (Source: Aviation Week)
A secret National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) spacecraft is poised for launch Dec. 10-11 from Cape Canaveral on board a U.S. Air Force Atlas V rocket. Details emerging about the mission indicate that the Atlas V will launch a Boeing Satellite Data System (SDS) type relay satellite.

Microbes May Threaten Lengthy Spaceflights (Source: Washington Post)
With NASA now actively planning for the day when astronauts will live for months on the moon or make the years-long flight to Mars and back, a potentially troublesome question is being raised with increasing urgency: Is the human body -- even a well-protected human body -- capable of living in space for long periods without suffering serious damage? That question has focused for some time on concerns about exposures to cosmic and solar radiation, as well as the loss of bone strength and muscle tone in weightlessness. But researchers are also coming up against another more surprising physical risk for future long-haul space travelers -- their immune systems appear to become less capable in space, leaving them more susceptible to stowaway bacteria and viruses.

Atlas Set to Launch Secret Payload Monday (Source: Florida Today)
A powerful United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket is being readied for the planned launch Monday evening of a classified payload for the super-secret National Reconnaissance Office. The 19-story rocket is slated to blast off from Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station at 5:03 p.m. EST Monday. The exact window for the mission is classified because it might shed light on the identity of the payload and its mission. A launch danger zone off the coast of Cape Canaveral will be cleared through 7 p.m. EST.

Boeing Launches Second Italian Earth Observation Satellite (Source: Boeing)
Boeing on Dec. 8 successfully launched the second of four Italian COSMO SkyMed spacecraft aboard a Delta II rocket for Thales Alenia Space Italia. Lift-off occurred at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California.

Opportunities, Challenges greet Spaceport Leader (Source: Las Cruces Sun-News)
Steven Landeene brings more than 20 years of aerospace industry experience to his new job as director of the New Mexico Spaceport Authority. That experience is critical. But as much or more critical might be his most recent experience as the director of strategy and planning for sales and marketing of Landmark Aviation. Depending on the result of a pending attorney general decision, Landeene could have a major sales job on his hands. The attorney general is ruling on whether a second tax district is required to help fund the Spaceport. Doña Ana County narrowly passed a tax establishing a first district earlier this year.

And it was generally understood the establishment of a second tax district would be required before collection on the tax could begin. However, the state has since said the collection should begin Jan. 1, 2008, with or without an additional district. That's the dispute the AG is charged with resolving. Most commonly mentioned as potential additional districts are Sierra County - where the spaceport will actually reside - and nearby Otero County. But for either to become a district, those voters must agree to a special tax. That's easier said than done, as the hotly contested and thin margin of victory in Doña Ana County illustrates.

Twin Rovers Defy Death to Continue Exploring Mars (Source: Statesman)
Spirit and Opportunity are showing signs of age but have lived almost four years longer than expected. With the brutal Martian winter quickly approaching, Spirit faced almost certain doom if it couldn't get free and find a safe haven. When NASA's twin Mars rovers, Spirit and Opportunity, landed on opposite sides of Mars in January 2004 as part of a $820 million mission, they were programmed to wander the red planet for only 90 days, examining rocks and craters and searching for water. Nearly four years later, the two rovers are miraculously still hard at work — although they're increasingly showing signs of age and wear.

Alliance Spacesystems Develops Robotic Arms for Satellite Retrieval (Source: LA Business Journal)
Nearly 1,000 satellites are circling the globe right now and virtually all of them will be put out of commission within the next couple of decades, if not years. Whether they sustain damage, run out of fuel or become technologically obsolete, orbiting satellites must be replaced regularly. But a new technology being developed in the heart of Southern California’s aerospace industry could greatly expand the lifespan of satellites and revolutionize the industry.

At Alliance Spacesystems in Pasadena, researchers recently completed work on the first of two prototype robotic arms that could allow spacecraft to grab hold of military or commercial satellites that were never designed to be captured. This feat would allow repair, refueling and a host of other possibilities, eventually leading to hundreds of billions of dollars in savings to the government and industry.

Russian Proton Rocket Puts Military Satellite Into Orbit (Source: RIA Novosti)
A Russian Proton-M rocket, launched from the Baikonur spaceport in Kazakhstan, has put a military satellite into orbit. The rocket was launched on Dec. 9. On October 24, Kazakhstan lifted a ban on Proton launches from the Baikonur space center, which was imposed following a September 6 crash of a Proton-M rocket.