July 24 News Items

Moon-Walker Claims Alien Contact Cover-Up (Source: Daily Telegraph)
Former NASA astronaut and moon-walker Dr Edgar Mitchell - a veteran of the Apollo 14 mission - has stunningly claimed aliens exist. And he says extra-terrestrials have visited Earth on several occasions - but the alien contact has been repeatedly covered up by governments for six decades. Chillingly, he claimed our technology is "not nearly as sophisticated" as theirs and "had they been hostile", he warned "we would be been gone by now".

"I happen to have been privileged enough to be in on the fact that we've been visited on this planet and the UFO phenomena is real," Dr Mitchell said. "It's been well covered up by all our governments for the last 60 years or so, but slowly it's leaked out and some of us have been privileged to have been briefed on some of it. "I've been in military and intelligence circles, who know that beneath the surface of what has been public knowledge, yes - we have been visited. Reading the papers recently, it's been happening quite a bit." (7/24)

DirecTV-Dish Next to Merge? (Source: Hollywood Reporter)
With the XM-Sirius merger finally approved, expect to see revived chatter on Wall Street about a possible DirecTV-Dish Network combination. If the big two satellite radio companies can merge, why shouldn't the big two satellite TV firms do the same? Indeed, in a legal system based on precedents, the XM-Sirius deal approval opens the door for a possible DirecTV-Dish merger. However, there are at least two arguments against a DirecTV-Dish deal during the near term. First, regulators blocked such a deal a few years ago, and some argue the marketplace hasn't changed enough yet to convince regulators this time. And second, there is no natural seller for now. (7/24)

FCC Ready to Approve XM-Sirius Merger (Source: SpaceToday.net)
The FCC is expected to approve the long-delayed merger of satellite radio companies XM and Sirius as soon as this week. Four of the five FCC commissioners have voted on the proposed merger and are deadlocked at 2-2, but the fifth, Deborah Taylor Tate, is expected to vote in favor of the merger. Her vote is expected to come with minor conditions, including a $20-million fine on the companies for failing to make their radios interoperable, that are not expected to disrupt the merger. XM and Sirius announced their merger plans in February 2007 but have been stuck in limbo for months waiting for regulatory approval. The proposed merger passed an antitrust review by the Justice Department earlier this year. (7/24)

Will We Soon Find Life in the Heavens? (Source: US News & World Report)
Alien-hunting scientists have had an eventful year, and they're about to get busier. In just the past few months, life-friendly soil and ice turned up on Mars, astronomers bagged a trio of Earth-like planets in a distant star system, and scientists looking closer to home reported that certain hardy microbes thrive below Earth's ocean floor—a big clue that life may exist on planets that at first glance appear inhospitable. None of the findings shout, "Here be aliens!" but each report has stoked optimism among astrobiologists that they will discover life beyond Earth. Some leading stargazers, in fact, suspect we're now on the verge of learning that we're not alone—and that genesis wasn't a unique event. (7/24)

CalTech: Intelligent Space Robots will Explore Universe by 2020 (Source: Computerworld)
Before the year 2020, scientists are expected to launch intelligent space robots that will venture out to explore the universe for us. Researchers are working on creating autonomous spacecraft that will be able to analyze data about points of interest as it passes and then make quick decisions about what needs to be investigated, according to Wolfgang Fink, a physicist and senior researcher at the California Institute of Technology. (7/24)

Lockheed Martin Receives $42 Million Extension on Cargo Mission Contract (Source: Lockheed Martin)
NASA recently announced it awarded Lockheed Martin a one-year contract extension of the Cargo Mission Contract (CMC) valued at $42 million. The extension provides integration services for cargo delivery to and from the International Space Station (ISS). The extension begins Oct. 1, 2008, and is the first of two options in the original contract. (7/24)

Space Scientists at UCLA Solve Mystery Behind Aurora Borealis (Source: UCLA)
UCLA space scientists and colleagues have identified the mechanism that triggers substorms in space; wreaks havoc on satellites, power grids and communications systems; and leads to the explosive release of energy that causes the spectacular brightening of the aurora borealis, also known as the northern lights. For 30 years, there have been two competing theories to explain the onset of these substorms, which are energy releases in the Earth's magnetosphere, said Vassilis Angelopoulos, a UCLA professor of Earth and space sciences and principal investigator of the NASA-funded mission known as THEMIS (Time History of Events and Macroscale Interactions during Substorms).

One theory is that the trigger happens relatively close to Earth, about one-sixth of the distance to the moon. According to this theory, large currents building up in the space environment, which is composed of charged ions and electrons, or "plasma," are suddenly released by an explosive instability. The plasma implodes toward Earth as the space currents are disrupted, which is the start of the substorm. (7/24)

Nude Artist Floats Free in Zero-G (Source: WIRED)
Bradley Pitts let it all hang out on the Russian Ilyushin 76 weightless trainer aircraft July 9th just outside of Moscow. After six years in the making, his vision of using the experience of weightlessness as a meditation finally came to fruition. But the 20 parabolas Pitts experienced in Russia were not his first. The artist was also a propulsion engineer during the weightless testing of the MIT SPHERES project, now onboard the International Space Station. He wanted to experience the pure sensation of weightlessness and opted to surrender his other senses to be able to fully immerse himself in space. He closed his eyes, wore earplugs and just let his body drift through space. "Blind, deaf, and nude is definitely the way to experience parabolic flight!" Pitts said. (7/24)

European Team Discovers New Alien World (Source: Space.com)
Scientists have discovered a new Jupiter-sized planet orbiting around a distant sun-like star. This planet takes 9.2 days to orbit its star, the longest period for any transiting exoplanet ever found. The planet, called CoRoT-Exo-4b, was discovered by the European Space Agency's CoRoT space telescope, which was designed to search for extrasolar planets by looking for transits, or tiny dips in the light output from a star when a planet passes in front of it. (7/24)

Russia 'Could Answer U.S. Shield with Orbital Ballistic Missiles' (Source: RIA Novosti)
Russia could put in place an orbital ballistic missile system in response to U.S. missile defense plans for Central Europe, a senior Russian military expert said. The U.S. plans to deploy a radar in the Czech Republic and 10 interceptor missiles in northern Poland as part of a U.S. missile shield for Europe and North America against possible attacks from "rogue states," including Iran. Russia strongly opposes the possible deployment of the U.S. missile shield, viewing it as a threat to its national security. (7/24)

NASA Report Clears O'Keefe's Name (Source: Daily Reveille)
NASA officials have decided there was no intentional wrongdoing by former NASA administrator and former Chancellor Sean O'Keefe involving allegations of inappropriate travel. But a recent NASA report declared two trips in 2003 and 2004 - one for a speaking engagement at Syracuse and one for a ceremony naming O'Keefe one of the top 100 Irish Americans - as "wasteful spending." NASA Chief Financial Officer Ronald Spoehel said NASA will not attempt to recoup travel costs from O'Keefe. O'Keefe served as LSU's chancellor from January 2005 until January 2008. He resigned in January and was recently named the head of General Electric's aviation operations in Washington D.C. (7/24)

Spacehab Moves Headquarters Within Houston (Source: Houston Business Journal)
Spacehab Inc. has relocated its corporate headquarters in an effort to streamline its operations. The commercial space services provider has moved from Webster to Houston. The new office is in the Clear Lake area and close to NASA’s Johnson Space Center. The new facility accommodates the firm’s ongoing fabrication and manufacturing operations, the company said, allowing Spacehab to continue its efforts in prototype, mockup and flight hardware development and production. (7/24)

NASA, USDA Sign Space Station Research Agreement (Source: NASA)
On Wednesday, U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Tex.) hosted NASA Administrator Michael Griffin and Secretary of Agriculture Edward T. Schafer during the signing of a memorandum of understanding to enable the USDA's Agricultural Research Service to conduct plant related research on the International Space Station. The research will improve our understanding of biological cellular mechanisms and may lead to creative new ways to improve American agriculture, protect the environment and contribute to better human health. The agreement reflects NASA's ongoing efforts to develop the space station as a national laboratory, with the ability to serve a broad range of users. (7/23)

Russia Dragging Feet Over Korean Rocket Launch (Source: Korea Times)
South Korean ambitions to launch the country’s first space rocket by Christmas might have to be put on hold for a few months. The Korean Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) had planned to send its Korea Space Launch Vehicle-1 (KSLV-1), a carrier rocket designed for transporting satellites, into orbit on Dec. 21. However, with its Russian partner failing to deliver the ground test vehicle (GTV), a machine for testing the rocket engine and liquid-fueled propulsion system, in time, there is the possibility the launch date could be moved to next year. The Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center, which is providing the technology for the KSLV-1 project, was to send the GTV to Korea during this month. Now, KARI officials can’t give a date. (7/23)

Boeing's 2Q Profit Falls 19 Percent (Source: AP)
Delays hurt Boeing Co.'s second-quarter profit, which fell 19 percent because of late delivery of military aircraft and rising costs from the postponed introduction of its 787 jetliner. Boeing posted profits of $852 million for the three months ended June 30, compared with $1.05 billion a year earlier. Revenue remained essentially flat at $17 billion. (7/23)

Humans to Live on Mars 'Within 25 Years' (Source: Australian Broadcasting Corp.)
A professor at Hawaii's Institute of Geophysics and Planetology says humans could be living on Mars within 25 years. He says humans could be living on the moon within 15 years, and if basic life supports like oxygen and water can be secured, humans could colonize Mars within 25 years. (7/23)

General Dynamics Reports Strong Earnings, Backlog Growth in Second Quarter 2008 (Source: General Dynamics)
General Dynamics reported second-quarter 2008 earnings from continuing operations of $641 million, compared with 2007 second-quarter earnings from continuing operations of $518 million. Revenues grew to $7.3 billion in the quarter, a 10.8 percent increase over second-quarter 2007 revenues of $6.6 billion. Net earnings were equal to earnings from continuing operations of $641 million. (7/23)

Biggest Annual U.S. Air Show to Salute NASA's 50th Anniversary (Source: NASA)
NASA's 50th anniversary celebration continues this summer with special recognition at EAA AirVenture 2008, the United States' biggest annual air show, held in Oshkosh, Wis., July 28 - Aug. 3. One of the Experimental Aircraft Association activities commemorating five decades of NASA's aerospace achievements will be an appearance by NASA Administrator Michael Griffin. (7/23)

SpaceX Prepares For Third Launch (Source: Aerospace Daily)
After two unsuccessful attempts to reach orbit, Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) is preparing to launch its third Falcon 1 booster, but says the flight is "not make or break" for the privately funded startup company. Flight 3 is on the pad at Kwajalein in the Pacific being prepared for a launch "in the coming weeks," says Larry Williams, the company's vice president of strategic relations, adding: "We don't have a firm date." (7/23)

Editorial: Preaching NASA Gospel to Florida Leaders Can Build Political Support (Source: Florida Today)
That Florida business leaders would strongly support NASA should be a given, but it's not. Instead, many have no idea what really goes on at Kennedy Space Center or about the $4 billion economic impact the spaceport has on the state's economy. That was clear Monday when about 100 chamber of commerce officials from across Florida gathered at KSC to learn about the space industry and what the coming end of the shuttle program means.

Incredibly, 70 percent of them had never been there before. The fact so many showed up bodes well for spreading the NASA gospel as the agency tries to gain public and political support for its planned lunar exploration program that's to begin in 2015. A program that will bring a brutal post-shuttle transition that could result in the loss of 6,400 jobs and trigger a damaging ripple effect through the Central Florida and state economies. (7/23)

New Mexico Spaceport Tax District OK'd (Source: Las Cruces Sun-News)
The Doña Ana County Commission on Tuesday voted to join a spaceport district with Sierra County, despite the concerns of two commissioners about details of the agreement. The commission agreed 3-2 to approve a contract creating the district, a precursor to the collection of a county spaceport sales tax. The district will exist to channel county sales tax dollars to the New Mexico Spaceport Authority to repay bonds for the $198 million spaceport. (7/23)

In Ireland, It is Rocket Science – European Style (Source: Silicon Republic)
Ireland currently contributes €13m per year to the European Space Agency (ESA), enabling Irish companies and researchers to secure ESA contracts, Minister for Science, Technology and Innovation. Ireland has been a participant in the European launcher development program since the early 1980s, having been involved in the Ariane 4 launcher and the current European (heavy lift) Ariane 5 launcher. Currently, the main Irish industrial involvement in the European launchers program is by Marotta Ireland, which provides support struts for the engine mounting on Ariane 5. A number of emerging Irish technology companies, supported by the ESA and Enterprise Ireland, are currently developing highly innovative technologies for the further evolution of the Ariane or the next-generation launcher to be developed in Europe. (7/23)