June 26 News Items

Scientists Find Water Vapor, Key Nutrients in Mars Soil (Source: New York Times)
Stick an asparagus plant in a pot full of Martian soil, and the asparagus might grow happily, scientists announced Thursday. An experiment on NASA’s Phoenix Mars lander shows the dirt on the planet’s northern arctic plains to be alkaline, though not fiercely alkaline, and full of the mineral nutrients that a plant would need. “We basically have found what appears to be the requirements, the nutrients, to support life whether past, present or future,” said Samuel P. Kounaves of Tufts University, who is leading the chemical analysis. “The sort of soil you have there is the type of soil you’d probably have in your back yard.” (6/26)

Editorial: Glenn, Garn, Nelson: What Bush Doesn't Know About NASA (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
NASA needs additional guidance from Congress on what its future course should be. It especially needs that guidance, because this administration has thoroughly failed to provide the direction -- or the funding -- necessary to achieve what President Bush called for in January 2004 when he announced the Vision for Space Exploration. We can only attempt to explain why the administration has undermined the Vision for Space Exploration, though we suspect it can be explained by Bush not knowing all the facts about what the real impact of NASA's annual budgets has been since the loss of the Columbia in 2003. Click here to view the article. (6/26)

Spacehab Cancels COTS Space Agreement With NASA (Source: NASA Watch)
According to NASA sources, Spacehab notified NASA on 29 May 2008 that it was requesting that its COTS (Commercial Orbital Transportation Services) Space Act Agreement (SAA) be terminated within 30 days. The reason given by Spacehab is an inability, on Spacehab's part, to meet SAA-specified milestones with the use of internal funds. NASA will terminate the SAA on 28 June 2008. Spacehab has confirmed this information but says that no formal press release is expected at this time. (6/26)

Embry-Riddle Plans Alumni Event at Farnborough on July 18 (Source: ERAU)
Embry-Riddle alumni are invited to a special event hosted at the 60th Annual Farnborough International Airshow on July 18. The event will be held at the Farnborough Holiday Inn from 3:30 - 7:30 p.m. Visit www.ERAUalumni.org and click on Register for Events. For more information, contact Michele Berg in the Office of Alumni Relations at Michele.berg@erau.edu or call (800) 727-3728. (6/26)

NASA Awards KSC Information Management and Communications Support Contract (Source: NASA)
NASA has selected Abacus Technology Corp. to provide information management and communications support at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The contract begins on Oct. 1 with a five-year base period and four one-year options to extend performance. If all options are exercised and the maximum amount of work is ordered, the total potential value of the contract is approximately $898 million. Abacus will furnish resources, including management, personnel, equipment and supplies to support KSC's voice communications, visual imaging and timing, transmission and cable systems, administrative phones, institutional computer networks, network IT security, publications, library, and computer services. (6/26)

India to Launch Youth Satellite (Source: Business Standard)
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is planning to launch a dedicated satellite for scientific experiments pursued by the undergraduate and post-graduate students from various universities in India. The launch of this satellite is planned on-board a polar satellite launch vehicle (PSLV) sometime next year. (6/26)

Russia and U.S. - Getting Closer in Space (Source: Russia Profile)
As the world’s only space superpowers, the United States and Russia have been doomed to cooperation in this field. As the former faces a lengthy and complicated process of replacing its outdated space shuttles, it has no choice but to turn to the latter for help in getting astronauts to and from the International Space Station. But while Russia views cooperation with NASA as a strategic advantage, the Americans are reluctant to vest this much power in rivaling hands. Visit http://www.russiaprofile.org/page.php?pageid=International&articleid=a1214497684 to view the article. (6/26)

Russia Set to Launch Military Satellite Into Orbit on June 27 (Source: RIA Novosti)
A Proton-K/DM-2 heavy carrier rocket will launch a Cosmos-series military satellite from the Baikonur spaceport in Kazakhstan early on June 27. Russia is reportedly operating a network of about 60-70 military reconnaissance satellites. (6/26)

Senate Committee Approves Bill for Extra Shuttle Mission (Source: Space.com)
The Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee approved a NASA authorization bill that would forbid the U.S. space agency from retiring the space shuttle before completing all remaining missions, including an additional flight to deliver the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS) to the International Space Station. A similar provision was included in the NASA authorization bill already approved by the U.S. House of Representatives. But the Senate version, approved Tuesday, differs in that it would direct NASA to keep all space shuttle contracts open through 2010, the date NASA intends to stop flying the vehicle. (6/26)

SpaceX Conducts Static Test Firing of Next Falcon 1 Rocket (Source: SpaceX)
Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) successfully conducted a full launch dress rehearsal and hold down firing of the Falcon 1 Flight 3 vehicle on June 25 on Omelek Island, SpaceX’s launch site at the Kwajalein Atoll. This test is the final step before launch of the Falcon 1 rocket. This marks the first launch pad firing of SpaceX’s new Merlin 1C regeneratively cooled engine, which operated at full power with only the hold-down system restraining the rocket from flight. In the coming weeks, SpaceX will conduct a thorough review of all data prior to the opening of the launch window for flight, which runs from late July through early September. (6/26)

Russia to Build Large Laser Telescope to Track Space Junk (Source: Interfax)
The Russian space agency Roskosmos will invest in the construction of the second phase of the Altay Optical Laser Research Center, a division of the Moscow-based Precision Engineering Research Institute. "It will be the biggest laser telescope in Russia. Roscosmos will invest not only in the construction of the second phase, but also in the infrastructure, landscaping and environmental protection. (6/26)

Canadian Scientists Unveil Plans for Debris and Asteroid-Hunting Satellite (Source: CBC)
Canada's space industry is out to prove again that good science can come in a small package. On Thursday, the Canadian Space Agency and Defense Research Development Canada announced they are preparing to launch the Near Earth Object Surveillance Satellite, or NEOSSat, a suitcase-sized telescope capable of spotting asteroids and tracking high-altitude satellites and space debris. NEOSSat follows on the success of the MOST (Microvariability and Oscillations of STars) telescope, the 60 kg star-watching satellite that was launched in 2003 and operates on a shoestring budget. (6/26)

Space Tourism is Ready for Takeoff (Source: Christian Science Monitor)
Wanna see outer space? The round trip will only take 30 minutes. Xcor Aerospace is counting down to 2010 for the launch of its Lynx rocket ship. The two-seater tourist plane will blast toward the sky at 1,500 miles per hour. The pilot cuts the engines three minutes in and lets momentum carry the Lynx to its peak altitude of 200,000 feet – commercial jets top out around 30,000 feet. Drifting for a moment, the passenger can see the blue curve of Earth’s atmosphere fade into the black void of space. Then, gravity tugs the plane back toward reentry. While only meant for one passenger, the Lynx can take off several times a day, Xcor says. There’s no price tag yet. (6/26)

963 Apply to Become Japan's Astronauts (Source: Mainichi Daily News)
A total of 963 people applied to the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) to become astronauts, after the agency began accepting applications for the first time in 10 years, officials said. It's the fifth time since 1983 that there has been a screening for astronauts at the agency, and the number of applicants was reportedly the highest ever. A total of 839 men and 124 women applied. Nearly 70 percent of them were aged between 30 and 40. (6/25)

Air Force Space Command Sends Six Nominees to NASA Astronaut Candidate Selection Board (Source: AFSC)
Six AFSPC officers have been selected by an Air Force board to have a shot at a Mission Specialist berth with NASA for the astronaut class of 2009. The nominees are: Maj. James E. Smith, Air Force Element, Buckley Air Force Base (AFELM); Maj. Jay A. Orson, AFELM; Capt. Matthew R. Allen, AFELM; Maj. William J. Christopher, Global Positioning System Wing; Maj James P. Lake, GPS Squadron; and Maj. David J. Laird, 1st Space Launch Squadron.

There were 213 Air Force nominees for this astronaut class. One hundred forty-five were sent forward to NASA for medical screening, where 31 were dropped from consideration for medical reasons. Air Force Space Command volunteers are stepping forward, doing their part to keep the NASA vision of space exploration an ongoing effort. (6/25)

Orbiting Robots Could Repair Satellites on the Fly (Source: New Scientist)
Fewer astronauts, more robots. That's the call from three European aerospace engineers, who argue that crewed satellite repair missions - like the ones flown by NASA to fix the ailing Hubble Space Telescope - are expensive, wasteful and set the wrong agenda for the space community. While such missions may be spectacular, they are unsustainable. Space agencies and satellite operators should instead be accelerating their efforts to develop robotic mechanics that can ply various Earth orbits, fixing errant satellites on demand. That way failing spacecraft can be repaired much more economically. (6/25)

Europe Seeks New Astronauts (Source: Glasgow Daily Record)
Nearly 10,000 individuals registered across the continent to begin ESA's astronaut selection process and 8413 provided the medical and completed the online form. Most applications to ESA came from France and Germany, followed by Italy, the UK and Spain. More than 850 were from the UK. They each forked out s200 for a medical to qualify for a new ESA astronaut corps to rival that run by NASA. (6/25)

Liver Drug May Help Exhausted Spacewalkers (Source: Space.com)
Future astronauts might better endure exhausting spacewalks with the help of a handy liver drug. The drug captures free radical molecules produced during heavy exercise that could damage muscle tissue and cause fatigue for spacewalkers already facing the muscle-wasting effect of weightlessness. "Astronauts report that six to eight hours of extra-vehicular activity is as exhausting as running a marathon," said Michael Reid, head physiologist at the University of Kentucky who leads an ongoing study. "The muscle groups most affected are the hands and arms."

NASA tries to limit the duration of its spacewalks to about 6 1/2 hours on average because astronauts become tired working in their bulky spacesuits. Future astronauts may have more flexible spacesuits to work with, but researchers still look to counteract the muscle fatigue in the shoulders, arms, wrists and hands. Visit http://www.space.com/businesstechnology/080625-tw-spacewalk-drug.html to view the article. (6/25)

NASA Spacecraft Reveal Largest Crater in Solar System (Source: NASA)
New analysis of Mars' terrain using NASA spacecraft observations reveals what appears to be by far the largest impact crater ever found in the solar system. NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and Mars Global Surveyor have provided detailed information about the elevations and gravity of the Red Planet's northern and southern hemispheres. A new study using this information may solve one of the biggest remaining mysteries in the solar system: why does Mars have two strikingly different kinds of terrain in its northern and southern hemispheres? The huge crater is creating intense scientific interest. (6/25)

Deadline Approaching to Apply for New Astronaut Class (Source: NASA)
NASA's deadline for accepting applications for the 2009 Astronaut Candidate Class is July 1, 2008. Those selected could fly to space for long-duration stays on the International Space Station and missions to the moon. To be considered, a bachelor's degree in engineering, science or math and three years of relevant professional experience are required. Typically, successful applicants have significant qualifications in engineering or science, or extensive experience flying high-performance jet aircraft.

Teaching experience, including work at the kindergarten through 12th grade level, is considered qualifying. Educators with the appropriate educational background are encouraged to apply. After a six-month period of evaluation and interviews, NASA will announce final selections in early 2009. Astronaut candidates will report to NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston during the summer of 2009 to begin the basic training program to prepare them for future spaceflight assignments. To apply to be an astronaut, visit: http://www.usajobs.gov. (6/26)

Satmex Signs Agreement With Loral For Construction Of Satmex 7 (Source: SpaceDaily.com)
Satelites Mexicanos has announced that it has issued an Authorization To Proceed (ATP) with the construction of Satmex 7 to Loral. The new satellite will provide Fixed Satellite Services (FSS) in the Americas. Satmex 7 will be latest generation high-power C and Ku-band satellite that will augment the current Satmex fleet in providing services such as broadband, voice and data transmission, and video broadcasting, including HDTV. It is being designed to be located at 114.9 degrees West, today occupied by Solidaridad 2, and its launch is programmed for 2011. (6/26)