July 22 News Items

Embry-Riddle on State-Funded Aero-Propulsion Center Team (Source: Tallahassee Democrat)
A multi-university team led by Florida State University has been given the job of coordinating efforts to turn university research in aerospace and aviation into commercial enterprise. FSU will be home to the new Florida Center for Advanced Aero-Propulsion (FCAAP), a collaboration of researchers in aerospace and aviation that will work with Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, the University of Central Florida and the University of Florida to create viable companies. The FCAAP is one of only two Centers of Excellence created by the Florida Legislature during its 2008 regular session. (7/21)

Russia Launches German Military Satellite (Source: SpaceToday.net)
A Russian Kosmos rocket launched the fifth and final satellite in a German military radar satellite constellation on Tuesday. The Kosmos 3M rocket lifted off from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome at 10:40 pm EDT Monday (0240 GMT Tuesday) and placed the SAR-Lupe 5 satellite into a 550-kilometer orbit. The launch completes the SAR-Lupe constellation of spacecraft that will provide radar imagery for the German military. The satellites were all launched on Kosmos boosters between late 2006 and today. (7/22)

Florida Chamber Officials Learn About Space Industry (Source: Florida Today)
About 140 Chamber of Commerce officials from across Florida learned about Brevard's space industry during a forum at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. Some 70 percent of them had never visited KSC. Mike Wetmore, KSC associate director for Engineering and Technical Operations told the group that KSC injects $4 billion into the state's economy. He also explained that the U.S. will rely on the Russians, the Europeans and the Japanese for transport of cargo and astronauts to the space station between 2010 and 2015, when the shuttle is no longer flying and the new Constellation craft is not yet ready. Steve Kohler, president of Space Florida, told the gathering that NASA's budget is inadequate at .6 percent of U.S. budget. He urged them to support a funding increase to 1 percent of the budget. (7/22)

Lockheed Posts Stronger Q2 Profit, Boosts Outlook (Source: AIA)
Profits at Lockheed Martin rose from $778 million in the 2007 second quarter to $882 million in the 2008 second quarter. Sales were up from $10.6 billion to $11 billion. The company boosted its outlook for the full year from its previous estimate of $7.15 to $7.35 per share to $7.45 to $7.60 per share. (7/22)

Scientists Gather to Exchange Ideas on Future Lunar Exploration (Source: AIA)
Hundreds of scientists and engineers gathered at the NASA Lunar Science Conference to discuss proposals for new tools that will study the moon's structure. They also planned robotic missions to the moon which will lay the groundwork for future manned missions to the moon and to Mars. (7/22)

MDA Receives NASA Grant to Commercialize Crop Insurance Evaluation and Hedging Tool (Source: MDA)
MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates has been awarded a prestigious NASA Research Opportunities in Space and Earth Sciences (ROSES) Grant in the amount of $681,000. Under this three year grant, MDA Federal will employ NASA assets to improve and commercialize a crop insurance decision making tool called InsuranceVision. When completed this tool will present a wide range of agricultural producers the ability to evaluate and optimize crop insurance and risk management decisions. (7/22)

Eumetsat Signs with Arianespace for 2013 Launch (Source: Space News)
A European Ariane 5 rocket or a European version of Russia's Soyuz vehicle will launch the MSG-4 meteorological satellite for Europe's Eumetsat organization in January 2013 under a contract signed here July 21. (7/22)

Harbinger, Inmarsat Break Off Takeover Talks (Source: Space News)
Inmarsat and its biggest investor, Harbinger Capital Partners, have ended preliminary discussions on a Harbinger purchase of the London-based mobile satellite services operator two weeks after the talks had begun, both companies announced July 21. Birmingham, Ala.-based Harbinger said regulatory issues surrounding the possible purchase could take 18 months to resolve, leading the company to suspend takeover talks and the kind of due-diligence negotiations that would have led to a buyout-price offer to Inmarsat's board and shareholders. (7/22)

Italian Space Agency President Ousted in Shakeup (Source: Space News)
The Italian government apparently has dismissed the president of the Italian Space Agency (ASI) following the resignation of six of seven ASI administrators in what looks to be an overhaul that will lead to the appointment of a Finmeccanica senior vice president as the agency's president, Italian government officials said July 21. (7/22)

Russia's Federal Space Agency Announces More ISS Modules (Source: Flight International)
While investigations continue into why two Russian Soyuz capsules' service modules failed to separate correctly before re-entry, the country's Federal Space Agency is planning new modules for the International Space Station. The additional ISS modules were announced by FSA chief Anatoly Perminov at a heads of agency meeting in Paris on 17 July. NASA's Space Shuttle launch manifest details three modules. The Mini Research Module 2 (MRM2), being delivered by a Russian launcher in 2009, the MRM1 that is installed by NASA's Space Shuttle Discovery's crew on mission STS-132 in 2010 and a Proton rocket-delivered multipurpose laboratory module targeted for 2011. The Shuttle mission STS-132 is described as a contingency, but NASA has recently said that it will fly both its contingency missions, STS-132 and STS-133. (7/22)

NASA Center in Ohio Eyes Moon (Source: Cleveland.com)
Before NASA astronauts rocket to Mars, they're supposed to return to the moon in a sweet new ride to test-drive everything from high-tech maps and buggies to new spacesuits and next-generation power sources. "We're going to use the moon as a proving ground to go on to Mars and other destinations," said Stephen N. Simons, associate director of Lunar Systems at NASA Glenn Research Center, which is working on a host of projects with scientists from universities in Ohio and across the country. (7/22)

FCC Still Haggles Over XM-Sirius (Source: Wall Street Journal)
Three votes have now been cast in the Federal Communications Commission's review of the XM Satellite Radio Holdings Inc. and Sirius Satellite Radio Inc. merger, but the deal is still no closer to being done. Democratic FCC commissioner Michael Copps voted against the deal Monday night. (7/22)

The Moon is Not Enough (Source: Register)
NASA and its international aeronautical cohorts have some serious explaining to do before they start rocketing folks to the Moon again. They better convince the public why it's so important for our species to invest hand-over-fist just to root around some boring gray orbital dust ball - a dust ball we already stuck a flag in a full score and 19 years ago. Perhaps they're preaching to the choir, but this week a gathering of scientists are giving this sort of time-tested anti-space exploration diatribe a workout at the NASA/AMES Research Center in Mountain View, California. They're in Silicon Valley for the first (theoretically) annual Lunar Science Conference. It's being run by the newly-formed NASA Lunar Science Institute — whose job it will be make dust vapor studies look sexy while doling out $2m grants to teams of lucky researchers.

"Apollo was exciting... but been there done that," said one researcher. "We have enough problems on Earth to solve like climate change, hunger, and war." Furthermore, Mars and the search for life are more compelling. Titan and Europa are exotic challenges. The big bang, string theory and dark matter are more fundamental, she added. What good can studying the Moon do us? Visit http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/07/22/lunar_science_conference_08_part_2/ to view the article. (7/22)

NASA Aims to Move Up Shuttle Launch Dates (Source: Florida Today)
NASA is looking to move up the launch dates for its next two shuttle missions by almost a week each to increase the chances that the second flight -- an International Space Station supply run -- can be sent up before a window of opportunity closes in late November. But it's unlikely NASA will be able to advance the planned Oct. 8 launch of a Hubble Space Telescope servicing mission more than a couple of days, and a proposed six-day move in the planned Nov. 10 launch of the station logistics mission would put liftoff of that flight on the same day as the 2008 presidential election. (7/22)

Rocket Racers Boosted by Fashion (Source: MSNBC)
Do rocket planes and men's fashions ever mix? The Rocket Racing League and DKNY certainly hope so: They've struck a sponsorship deal that will give ample exposure to DKNY's fashion brand on the league's flight suits and one of the rocket racers. It's one more example showing how the league's rocketeers are following the model set in auto racing. NASCAR teams have long festooned their uniforms with sponsors' logos - and the organizers of the Rocket Racing League want to work that into their business model as well. (7/22)

XM Radio Predicts Quarterly Loss Even as Its Customer Base Grows (Source: Washington Post)
XM Satellite Radio expects losses of as much as $38 million in the second quarter and would have to refinance debt as it waits for final regulatory approval of its merger with Sirius Satellite Radio. The D.C. company also reported that it gained 322,000 subscribers in the quarter, most of whom joined through the sale of promotional radio subscriptions that come automatically with the purchase of some cars. XM's total subscriber count is at 9.65 million, a 17 percent jump from the corresponding period last year. (7/22)

Ohio State University: Project to Develop GPS-Like System for Moon (Source: OSU)
The same Ohio State University researcher who is helping rovers navigate on Mars is leading a new effort to help humans navigate on the moon. When NASA returns to the moon -- the space agency has set a target date of 2020 to do so -- astronauts won't be able to use a global positioning system (GPS) to find their way around, explained Ron Li, the Lowber B. Strange Designated Professor of civil and environmental engineering and geodetic science. (7/21)

Makemake Makes the List (Source: Science News)
Pluto has yet another brother. The International Astronomical Union has accepted the name Makemake for the newest family member of dwarf planets and the subgroup plutoids. Makemake (pronounced MAH-kay MAH-kay) is two-thirds the size of Pluto and slightly dimmer than the former planet. The new object — formerly known as 2005 FY9 — also has a reddish tinge. The name was recently accepted by the IAU after discussions circulated via email. Formerly known as 2005 FY9, it is named after the Polynesian god of fertility and creator of humanity. (7/21)

If You Want to Repeat Apollo, Do it Right (Source: New Scientist)
NASA's two new launchers are increasingly in big trouble, and may come to a bad end. Ares I, the small launcher designed to lift a crew capsule, is the centre of the problem. The original idea was to start with a shuttle solid rocket booster (SRB), and top it off with a small upper stage using a shuttle main engine (SSME). This plan had some flaws, but if it could be done easily and quickly, it looked passable if not ideal. Unfortunately, it hasn't been easy or quick. First the upper-stage engine was changed to the J-2S, the Apollo-era engine being revived for the big launcher, Ares V. This wasn't as fuel efficient, so the upper stage got fatter to hold more fuel. That was too heavy for the SRB, so Ares I would have to use the stretched "five-segment" SRB also planned for the big launcher. Click here to view the article. (7/22)

Europe Aims for Manned Capsule by 2020 (Source: Flight International)
A €300 million ($475 million) three-year Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV) Advanced Return Vehicle (ARV) development project, to be proposed to the European Space Agency's November ministerial meeting, could become a stepping stone to a human transport system in 2020. ESA wants to evolve its expendable 20,000kg (44,000lb) ATV, which docked with the International Space Station for the first time in April, into an EADS Astrium Ariane 5-launched ARV. That cargo vehicle would be the basis for the manned system operating around 2020.

ESA will design ARV with a view to man-rating it in future. The cargo version will be about 5,000kg lighter than the Ariane 5's low-Earth orbit capability to allow for the future addition of a launch abort tower. The ARV, with up to 1,500kg downmass capacity, would be operational by 2015. Its use assumes an extension of the International Space Station's lifespan beyond 2016, which the outpost's space agency partners said they wanted in their 17 July joint statement. (7/21)

Moonlighting Engineers Design Alternative NASA Rocket (Source: New Scientist)
Recently, media reports have described a sort of "shadow army" of engineers who – in their spare time – are designing an alternative to NASA's future Ares rockets. Proponents of the DIRECT plan believe that the Ares rocket has strayed from its original Congressional mandate, set in 2005, to recycle as much technology from the shuttle as possible to keep costs low, the space workforce employed, and the window between the shuttle's retirement and the new vehicle as small as possible. The DIRECT plan uses two identical "Jupiter" rockets – one that would loft only cargo and the other that could carry crew – that are similar in design to a concept developed at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center after the Challenger shuttle disaster in 1986.

Like the shuttle launcher, each Jupiter rocket would have a liquid fuel tank and two solid rocket boosters. But unlike the shuttle system, Jupiter's liquid fuel tank would have two or three engines at its base and would carry its payload on top rather than on its side – a design that would prevent any insulating foam it might shed from damaging the crew capsule. Using only one type of rocket, the DIRECT team says, could save NASA $35 billion dollars because it's easier to develop and maintain a single type of vehicle. Visit http://space.newscientist.com/article/dn14364-moonlighting-engineers-design-alternative-nasa-rocket.html to view the article. (7/22)

What's Wrong with Ares I? (Source: New Scientist)
The Ares I design was intended to be cheap and relatively easy, as it was supposed to reuse as much technology from the space shuttle as possible. But that has not been the case, largely because it must carry up a relatively heavy crew capsule, says Roger Launius, head space historian at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC. "The solid rocket booster was not designed to lift this kind of load or to have something stacked on top of it," he told New Scientist. One major problem is "jack hammer" vibrations caused by irregularities in the way the solid rocket motor burns fuel, though NASA says the problem is fixable. This and other concerns were highlighted in a NASA report made public last week that suggested NASA will probably not meet its own internal goal of launching the rocket in 2013, and may even miss its publicly stated goal of a launch by 2015. (7/21)

Winston Scott Tapped for Florida Tech Job (Source: Florida Today)
A Florida native who flew on NASA's space shuttle twice and then led the state's space agency for three years is returning to the Space Coast to take on the job as dean of the College of Aeronautics at Florida Institute of Technology. Retired Navy Capt. Winston Scott will take the helm on Aug. 1 and will reside in Melbourne. (7/22)

New Mexico County Poised to Block State from Spaceport Board (Source: Las Cruces Sun-News)
Doña Ana County commissioners on Tuesday will vote on a proposed contract setting up a spaceport tax district, which will oversee spaceport tax dollars from the county. The proposed contract is at odds with an initial proposal for the district by the New Mexico Spaceport Authority. Kent Evans, county commission chairman, said he doesn't "foresee any big problems" relating to the commission's consideration of the contract Tuesday. He expects it to be approved. "The state won't be happy with that," he said. "I think the biggest deal is Sierra (County), and us — we don't feel the state should be in total control of it. We should all have an equal voice." (7/21)

Russia to Start Assembly Work at European Spaceport (Source: Itar-Tass)
Assembly works on the prospective Soyuz launch pad at the Kourou spaceport in French Guiana will begin in the middle of August. The company is a key participant in the Soyuz Kourou project. Assembly work will start on August 10-15, as soon as the equipment is brought to the spaceport. The first Soyuz launch from Kourou is planned for spring 2009. Europe's spaceport is situated in the northeast of South America in French Guiana, an overseas department of France. (7/21)

Worm Pincers May Inspire Better Spacecraft Materials (Source: New Scientist)
The ultra-strong mouthparts of Nereis virens (aka the sandworm or ragworm) could be the key to developing a new class of tough, lightweight materials for airplanes and spacecraft. The worm uses its jaws and pincers to burrow into the shallow-water sediments of the North Atlantic. Its jaws are made up of about 90% protein, which should make them no more resistant to buckling and penetration than a human fingernail. But the protein is fortified with metal, creating a material that is three times harder and stiffer than current manmade polymers. A University of California biologist discovered the nature of the worm's super-pincers.(7/21)