September 19 News Items

Brevard Unemployment Hits 7.2% in August (Source: Florida Today)
Brevard County, home of the Cape Canaveral Spaceport, experienced an unemployment rate climb to 7.2 percent in August, the highest it has been in more than 13 years, new state labor statistics show. Last month’s unemployment figure that was up from a revised 7 percent in July and 4.7 percent in August 2007. Statewide, the unemployment rate rose to 6.8 percent in August, up from 6.5 percent in July and 4.4 percent in August 2007. The August reading, not seasonally adjusted, is the highest since 1995. Florida lost 98,700 nonagricultural jobs from August 2007 to August 2008, including a loss of 2,300 jobs in Brevard County. (9/19)

Firms Chosen for Galileo Run-off (Source: BBC)
Eleven industrial groups will compete for the contracts to build Europe's much-delayed satellite-navigation system, Galileo. They were chosen from an initial list of 21 that had indicated an interest in participating in the project. Galileo will rival but also complement the US GPS network. The European Commission has set aside more than two billion euros to build 26 satellites, buy launch services and set up the ground control centers. The Commission's partner, the European Space Agency (ESA), is running the procurement contest with the aim of having Galileo fully operational by 2013. (9/19)

Russia to Orbit Six Glonass Satellites by Year's End (Source: RIA Novosti)
Russia plans to launch six satellites in the next three months to increase the existing Glonass grouping to 18-19 spacecraft. Glonass (Global Navigation Satellite System) is the Russian equivalent of the U.S. Global Positioning System (GPS), which is designed for both military and civilian use, and allows users to identify their positions in real time. "We will launch three Glonass satellites on September 28 and another three satellites in December, so we could have 18-19 spacecraft in orbit, taking into account the possible retirement of outdated spacecraft," an official said. (9/19)

USA Stops Work on Ares I and Ares I-X Rockets (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
In a move that could upset NASA and its plans to hurry the Constellation moon rocket program, United Space Alliance, the main contractor at Kennedy Space Center, told employees it will no longer be working on the Ares I rocket or Ares I-X test rocket from Sept 22. On Sep. 21, USA's contract with ATK for work on Ares I and Ares I-X will expire, and an extension is not planned. Last month USA filed a lawsuit against ATK over what it claimed was ATK's failure to award USA a promised contract.

“This decision was made for several reasons. First is ATK's refusal, after two years, to honor its original commitment to USA to provide a long-term contract. Second is the fact that ATK has severely de-scoped USA's role in the design and engineering work on Ares I to the point that, in ATK's most recent proposal, our role would have been to provide only limited technical labor support. This reduced work scope and the shortened period of performance provide an insufficient business case that is not beneficial to USA.” USA employees who were assigned to Ares I and Ares I-X work will be reassigned to Space Shuttle work, and to work related to other USA contracts. (9/19)

Florida Suborbital Launch Moved to Monday (Source: ERAU)
A suborbital "Super Loki" rocket launch, planned by Space Florida with support from the University of Central Florida and SpaceTEC, was scrubbed on Friday morning due to downrange interference. It will be rescheduled for Monday morning and will mark the resumption of Super Loki launches from Launch Complex 47, which is dedicated to small suborbital missions for academic programs. Space Florida has a large inventory of Super Loki rockets and hopes to use them to support a robust university payload launch program at the Cape Canaveral Spaceport. SpaceTEC, the national center for aerospace technical training, is responsible for maintaining Launch Complex 47 for these types of launches. (9/19)

Branson Space Center for Portugal? (Source: Portugal News)
Self-made billionaire Richard Branson has this week revealed Portugal could be an ideal venue to build a “spaceport”. While the founder of Virgin Atlantic said he was considering the idea of a Portuguese space center, he added any further progress would only be discussed in four years time. In the meantime, Branson revealed his intention to invest in renewable energies here, and said he was building up to 20 new health clubs in the country, creating over a thousand new jobs. (9/19)

New Report Warns Against U.S.-China Competition in Space (Source: Council on Foreign Relations)
China's successful test of an anti-satellite weapon in 2007, followed by the U.S. destruction in early 2008 of an out-of-control U.S. satellite, demonstrated that space may soon no longer remain a relative sanctuary from military conflict. A new Council Special Report says that as the United States, China, and others increasingly benefit from the information that military and intelligence satellites provide, the temptation to attack these satellites provides troubling potential for instability and conflict in space that could dramatically affect U.S. military capabilities on earth.

The report, China, Space Weapons, and U.S. Security, explores the strategic landscape of this new military space competition and highlights the dangers and opportunities the United States confronts in the space arena. Acknowledging that some degree of offensive space capability is inevitable, the report calls on the United States to lead in establishing a more stable and secure space environment. (9/19)

European Space Agency Plans Asteroid Mission (Source: Telegraph)
European scientists are planning to learn more about the solar system by bringing back material from an asteroid. The European Space Agency (ESA) mission, which could launch in the next decade, plans to select a small asteroid, less than 0.6 miles across, near Earth and send a spacecraft to drill for dust and rubble for analysis. A final decision on the mission, known as Marco Polo, will be made in the coming years, with a potential launch at the end of the next decade. (9/19)

NASA to Mars Lander: Keep Digging (Source: AIA)
NASA says it will spend about $6 million to keep the Phoenix spacecraft digging trenches near the north pole of Mars, hoping to discover whether the site might have been suitable for microbial life. Due to the onset of winter, the mission's second extension might be its last. Phoenix will become a weather station when its digging is completed. (9/19)

Space Florida Plans Public Meetings on Sept. 24-25 (Source: ERAU)
Space Florida plans a series of public board committee and full board meetings on Sept. 24-25 at the Orlando International Airport's Hyatt hotel. The meetings will focus on a variety of topics, including plans for investing in a new launch complex at the Cape Canaveral Spaceport. (9/19)

State Space Policy/Strategy Meeting Planned on Space Coast on Sept. 29 (Source: ERAU)
The second annual Florida Space and Technology Forum is planned on Sept. 29 at the Florida Solar Energy Center in Cocoa. Several state legislators and leaders from industry, academia and government have been invited to discuss the requirement for continued state attention for space issues ranging from workforce and education, to economic development and diversification. Organizers include stakeholders from around the state who hope to collaboratively develop a legislative agenda for 2009, in response to significant negative economic impacts expected when the Space Shuttle is retired. (9/19)

Astronomers Discover Most Dark Matter-Dominated Galaxy in Universe (Source: Yale)
A team led by a Yale University astronomer has discovered the least luminous, most dark matter-filled galaxy known to exist. The galaxy, called Segue 1, is one of about two dozen small satellite galaxies orbiting our own Milky Way galaxy. The ultra-faint galaxy is a billion times less bright than the Milky Way, according to the team’s results. But despite its small number of visible stars, Segue 1 is nearly a thousand times more massive than it appears, meaning most of its mass must come from dark matter. (9/18)

Rocket Business Boosts Workforce (Source: Florida Today)
Alliant Techsystems, which makes solid rocket motors for the space shuttle, announced plans to hire 70 Brevard County workers to help build the first stage of NASA’s Ares I launch vehicle. Ares I is the first part of the Constellation Program, which will replace the shuttle. About 50 of the workers will be engineers, though none will be technicians.

ATK will lease the 16,000-square-foot former Sterling Casino Lines building in Port Canaveral and work also will be done at Astrotech Space Operations in Titusville, three miles outside the KSC gate. There, the company will perform instrumentation and thermal protection system installation and other work for the fifth segment simulator and forward skirt, which are components of the Ares I-X test vehicle scheduled to launch in 2009. (9/19)

Bush Library Ffeatures NASA Space Exhibit (Source: Texas A&M BATT)
The "Beyond the Moon: NASA's Continuing Mission" exhibit will be revealed at the George Bush Presidential Library and Museum Friday. The Bush museum, in conjunction with the Lyndon Baines Johnson presidential library and Space Center Houston, will focus on U.S. stages of space exploration. To honor Lyndon Johnson, the Johnson library exhibit will highlight the president's dedication to the American space program. (9/19)

Spaceport Roadwork Begins in Engle (Source: Las Cruces Sun-News)
The New Mexico Spaceport Authority and the New Mexico Department of Transportation have begun work on a road that will connect to Spaceport America, the nation's first purpose-built spaceport, located in southern Sierra County. The project began Thursday and will improve County Road AO13 from Engle, south to the intersection of AO13 and AO39, which is the entrance to Spaceport America. Officials are hoping to have work completed before the end of the year, depending on the lead times for the structures. (9/19)

Weldon: America Can Do Better Than Relying on Russia (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
I have always been a supporter of space exploration, and for years it has been my honor to fight for the people of Central Florida who work at Kennedy Space Center. In about 24 months, thousands at KSC will be laid off when we retire the space shuttle. In order to save money, NASA plans to rely on Russia to lift our astronauts into space for five or six years until the shuttle replacement, Orion, is ready to fly.

It is estimated these layoffs will cost our Central Florida economy between $1 billion and $1.5 billion annually. After studying this challenge, I have concluded that the only way we can mitigate its severity is to not rely on the Russians to put our astronauts in orbit after 2010. We need to accelerate the funding and production of the Orion, and we need to continue a reduced rate of shuttle operations until Orion is fully operational. Click here to view the editorial. (9/19)

Spaceport Director Makes its Pitch to Local GOP (Source: Alamogordo Daily News)
Republicans gathered Wednesday night to hear Spaceport America Executive Director Steve Landeene present the benefits the spaceport could bring to Otero County. Landeene focused on some benefits the spaceport could bring not just locally, but to the U.S. as a whole. HE said Spaceport America holds the promise of unleashing a brand new industry: commercial space. Until now, he said, only the government has been investing in space. For the first time, private industry is now investing in the "final frontier." Virgin Galactic is investing $250 million to bring its assets to southern New Mexico.

Landeene noted the space shuttle program will end in 2010 and private companies are working to develop a rocket to provide "lift" for America. He said he learned in October the U.S. government - "our U.S. tax dollars at work here" -- signed a $714 million contract with Russia. "So we're paying Russia to help Russia advance their technology and use their lift to get our assets to space -- our national security (assets)," Landeene said. "And now we all know what's gone over with Georgia and the recent conflicts there. There is uncertainty in Russia, certainly. "So you could take your pick. Would you like to see China taking our national security assets to space? How about Russia?"

Locally, Landeene said Spaceport America will be a catalyst to bring economic development, tourism and education to southern New Mexico, just like the space program did for Huntsville, Ala. He pointed out that Huntsville is now the space industrial center of the United States, even with Cape Canaveral and launch pads more than 700 miles away from town. Landeene explained the space industry will never be located at Spaceport America itself due to environmental concerns, among others; only launches will take place there. Although the spaceport is in a remote location, it is in a corridor "rich in capability," a key element in attracting companies to do business in the area. (9/19)