September 15 News Items

Win An Afternoon with Astronaut Winston Scott! (Source: PR Newswire)
This school year starts with a space defying opportunity. NASA Astronaut Winston E. Scott is participating in a national contest, Win an Afternoon with Winston E. Scott -- the Astronaut, providing students the extraordinary opportunity to meet and interact with a real-life astronaut. Launched on the first of September, educators who purchase Astronaut Scott's latest release, Reflections from Earth Orbit, have an opportunity to win a school visit from Astronaut Scott. For official contest rules log on to http://extra-mile-marketing.com/astronaut.html. (9/15)

Scientists Get Images of Planet with Sun-Like Star (Source: Reuters)
Scientists have snapped the first images of a planet outside our solar system that is orbiting a star very much like the sun. Nearly all of the roughly 300 so-called extrasolar planets discovered to date have been detected using indirect methods such as changes observed in a star when a planet orbits directly in front of it from the perspective of Earth. But in findings announced on Monday, University of Toronto scientists said they used the Gemini North telescope on Mauna Kea in Hawaii to take direct pictures of the planet, which is about the size of Jupiter but with eight times the mass. (9/15)

Space Trucker Fleet Needed to Gather up Rogue Space Debris (Source: TGDaily)
The volume of space junk continues to grow and is causing more and more hazards to flight plans. The editors at TG Daily believe there's an appropriate question that needs to be asked: Is it time to create an International Space Trucker fleet designed to safely capture and dispose of all this space junk? One could operate remotely piloted vehicles designed to move from debris piece to debris piece slowly over time. Each piece will be captured by a type of claw or chain. Then it will be towed to a holding orbit, deposited into a specially fabricated net before ultimately attaching some paylod assist rockets and sending the entire kit and kaboodle directly toward our sun where it will burn up and pose no additional danger. (9/15)

Auction Of Intangibles Attracts NASA, Private Investors (Source: CNN)
Bidders will gather in Chicago next month for a high-end live auction at the historic Chicago Cultural Center, but they won't be vying for Roy Lichtenstein lithographs or a seventeenth-century writing desk. Rather, Ocean Tomo LLC, a specialist in turning intellectual property into real money, will broker the sale of patents, trademarks, copyrights and domain names to sophisticated technology buyers. Sellers range from individual inventors to multinational corporations and investors.

Three lots at auction are of special interest: For the first time, on Oct. 30, a government agency, Goddard Space Flight Center, part of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, will auction off exclusive licensing rights to more than 40 patents or patent applications from its private store of technology development. Goddard's goal is to bring technology into the light for use on more than just space exploration. Ocean Tomo wants potential buyers to see that, with ever more corporate value coming from intangible property, it's a good place for beaten-down investors to push their cash. (9/15)

Space Shuttle Heads to Launch Pad Despite Ike (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
Despite some leaky buildings and lack of power and water services at Johnson Space Center in the aftermath of Hurricane Ike, NASA still plans to move space shuttle Endeavour out to launch pad 39B at Kennedy Space Center on Thursday. Endeavour will be on standby when Atlantis blasts off from neighboring pad 39A on a mission to service the Hubble Space Telescope. It would only be launched on a rescue mission if Atlantis sustained damage that endangered the ship and its crew. (9/15)

Hubble Finds a Mystery Object (Source: Sky and Telescope)
Don't get the idea that we've found every kind of astronomical object there is in the universe. Astronomers working on the Supernova Cosmology Project report finding a new kind of something that they cannot make any sense of. The project used the Hubble Space Telescope to monitor very distant galaxy clusters for supernovae. On February 21, 2006, in the direction of a far-away cluster in Bootes named CL 1432.5+3332.8 (light travel time 8.2 billion years), Hubble began seeing something brighten. It continued brightening for about 100 days and peaked at 21st magnitude in two near-infrared colors. It then faded away over a similar timescale, until nothing was left in view down to 26th magnitude. The object brightened and faded by a factor of at least 120, maybe more.

The mystery object did not behave like any known kind of supernova. It is not even in any detectable galaxy. "The shape of the light curve is inconsistent with microlensing," say the researchers. They recorded three spectra of it — and its spectrum, they write, "in addition to being inconsistent with all known supernova types, is not matched to any spectrum in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey database" of vast numbers of objects. "We suggest that the transient may be one of a new class." (9/11)

Shuttle Shutdown in 2010: Q&A (Source: Florida Today)
Rumors are swirling. Politicians are making promises. Program officials are studying how to retire the shuttle and how to extend its life, at the same time. All the while, thousands of jobs are at stake as the debate builds over whether to retire the fleet in 2010 as planned. So with all that going on, there are a lot of questions about the status of the space shuttle program and the options after the election. Click here to view some answers to more frequently asked questions. (9/15)

Analyst: Unions Wield Unusual Power in Aerospace Industry (Source: AIA)
Despite the declining fortunes of Big Labor in the U.S., machinists at Boeing continue to wield power in "America's last successful major heavy industry," according to one analyst. Tom Buffenbarger, president of the International Association of Machinists, predicts a successful strike against the aerospace giant could "bleed over into airlines," where unions hold less sway. But Peter Morici, an international business professor at the University of Maryland, warns the union could overplay its hand. "This is a good example of why manufacturing is leaving the country," Morici said. "This is like the UAW in the '50s." (9/15)

Road to Living on Mars May Start in Titusville (Source: Florida Today)
A small, forward-looking company has offered to share the wealth of Mars with Titusville. 4Frontiers Corp. is asking the Titusville City Council to allow more than $745,000 in tax breaks to help the company attract investors and set up a shop where it would provide Earth-bound folks with a taste of the Martian experience. "We consider ourselves the world authority on Mars settlements," said Mark Homnick, a 50-year-old former mechanical engineer, who graduated from Penn State in 1980 and works out of his New Port Richey home. The company takes its name from the four frontiers of Earth, the moon, Mars and the asteroids.

Homnick wants to be in the first wave of entrepreneurs to develop tourism and mining on the red planet. "We decided no one was looking at long-term habitation," Homnick said. "Ultimately, it will form into a paying business." On a site off State Road 407, 4Frontiers envisions a corporate headquarters. It also wants to have another facility nearby that would house interactive displays and a science-based Mars settlement replica that would be open to the public for admission. The two projects combined are projected to cost more than $35 million. An enthusiastic Titusville City Council unanimously approved having a public hearing next month on the proposed 70 percent tax abatement for seven years. (9/15)

The Air Force's Other Blind Spot (Source: Space Review)
The US Air Force has come under scrutiny in recent months for neglecting its nuclear forces. Retired general James Armor argues the Air Force has also been neglecting its space mission, something that could have potentially serious consequences for national security in the future. Visit http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1213/1 to view the article. (9/15)

The Fallacy of Space-Based Interceptors for Boost-Phase Missile Defense (Source: Space Review)
Some have proposed developing space-based missile defense systems to strike missiles in their earliest phases of flight. Brian Weeden explains why such an approach suffers from technical and political problems. Visit http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1212/1 to view the article. (9/15)

A Step Forward for Space Solar Power (Source: Space Review)
Developing space solar power requires billions of dollars and years of work. However, Jeff Foust reports that some progress can be made in just a few months and with a much smaller amount of money, so long as you don't mind a little made-for-TV drama. Visit http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1210/1 to view the article. (9/15)

War, Peace, and Space Solar Power (Source: Space Review)
Space solar power has been billed as a way to meet the growing energy demands of the world. Taylor Dinerman notes that SSP can also serve as a means of avoiding potential future conflicts about energy. Visit http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1209/1 to view the article. (9/15)

President Obama's Space Policy: learning from Eisenhower (Source: Space Review)
There has been no shortage of speculation about what Barack Obama would do in the arena of space policy if elected President this November. Adrian Brown offers some advice from the past for Obama. Visit http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1208/1 to view the article. (9/15)

UK Government Urged to Improve National Space Capabilities (Source: Flight Global)
The UK government is being warned that while 90% of its military capabilities rely on satellites, the country's capability in space systems is waning, with a continuing reliance on foreign-owned orbital assets. In a 38-page report published on 14 September, satellite industry body UKspace calls for the creation of a robust national space program, increased research and development, more involvement in pan-European projects and the monitoring of threats to UK civil and military space infrastructure. The document is a response to the UK government's call for a debate on its national security strategy. (9/15)

Buyers Bemoan Launcher Prices, Availability (Source: Space News)
Launch-services suppliers found themselves on the defensive the week of Sept. 8 as satellite-fleet operators and satellite manufacturers said rocket reliability and supply was the Achilles heel of the otherwise robust commercial telecommunications satellite market. Repeatedly during the World Satellite Business Week event, satellite operators said the availability of rockets is the principal risk to their growth prospects.

One operator went so far as to suggest that rocket builders build an inventory of vehicles that would be ready for launch in the event of a failure — a proposal that a commercial launch-services company official said is "beyond belief. Has he looked at our operating margins recently? Who is supposed to finance that inventory?" Satellite manufacturers joined the debate, and most of them pointed to rocket builders as the biggest problem currently facing the industry. (9/15)

Johnson Space Center Roof Damage Delays Reopening (Source: Houston Chronicle)
Damage assessments from Hurricane Ike at NASA's Johnson Space Center continued on Sunday, and a spokesman said it could be late this week or even sometime during the week of Sept. 21 before the facility is ready to reopen for normal operations. Johnson, which employees 16,500, received roof damage to the Mission Control Center, the installation that watches over the international space station and its three-man American and Russian crew. (9/15)

Jury to Deliberate Satellite Case Pitting ICO Global Against Boeing (Source: LA Times)
A legal battle that could play a key role in the future of wireless phone pioneer Craig McCaw's dream to provide video and other services to mobile users around the globe is now in the hands of a Los Angeles jury. The dispute pits billionaire McCaw and ICO Global Telecommunications against aerospace giant Boeing Co. and stems from a decade-old plan to launch a network of satellites that would transmit an array of mobile services, including TV programming, navigation and roadside assistance to earthbound users.

The venture stalled, and ICO is now seeking more than $2 billion in damages and interest from its former contractor. The trial began in June and attorneys for ICO and Boeing delivered their final arguments last week. A win in the courtroom would provide a significant boost for Virginia-based ICO, which was revived from bankruptcy eight years ago by an investor group led by McCaw, who is chairman of ICO. (9/15)