September 20 News Items

No “Flexibility” for Space in McCain Budget Freeze (Source: Space Politics)
There have been conflicting statements about what sort of NASA budgets John McCain would propose if elected president. His space policy proposes to “Commit to funding the NASA Constellation program to ensure it has the resources it needs”, and other statements suggest that he would at least be amenable to additional NASA funding. However, his economic policy includes a one-year “spending pause” on non-defense, non-veterans discretionary spending, which would include NASA. So which policy holds precedence?

Ike Brannon, a McCain campaign economist and senior policy adviser said “there’s been no talk within the campaign of allowing any flexibility in the proposed freeze...The purpose of the freeze is to evaluate each and every program, looking at which ones are worthwhile and which are a waste of taxpayer dollars,” he said, although he did appear to leave the door open to reallocating dollars within the overall freeze, and although it wasn’t clear if this would apply to the FY2010 budget or future years. “But the freeze applies to the entire budget, most of which doesn’t relate to science,” Brannon said. “He [McCain] hopes to be able to find savings from earmarks, from unnecessary subsidies, and from other programs that could then be applied to research.” (9/20)

A Space Solar Power Caucus in Congress? (Source: Space Politics)
Paul Rancatore, a former pro-space candidate for Congress in Florida’s 15th district, has been spending post-primary time in Washington advocating space solar power. In his words, he’s trying to “educate members about what space-based solar power can do for our country, create that dialogue, and possibly create a ‘space-based solar caucus’ within Congress for them to fully understand the ramifications for our country.”

He’s met with Congressman Ed Markey (D-MA), who chairs the Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming, among others, looking for someone willing to champion space solar power in Congress. He expects to make more progress in January, when a new Congress convenes. Rancatore added he’s also focused on other space issues, including the Shuttle-Constellation gap, something he said he’s working with Buzz Aldrin on. He said they’re looking at three options: a “Shuttle-C” design (which he didn’t elaborate upon), an EELV/capsule approach, and vastly increased funding for COTS. On the last option, he said that COTS should be funded at $2.5 billion, about five times its current level. (9/17)

Could D-Minus Be a Passing Grade for Shuttle Life Extension? (Source: Space Politics)
One of the key arguments against proposals to extend the life of the space shuttle beyond 2010 is that it only solves part of the problem with access to the ISS. The shuttle can ferry crews to and from the station, but it cannot remain on station for extended periods to serve the “lifeboat” role that the Soyuz currently does. Unless...

A NasaSpaceFlight.com article on NASA's study into delaying the shuttle’s retirement addresses the lifeboat problem, but adds: "[T]he issue of a US-controlled ‘lifeboat’ is also being evaluated on several fronts, especially in relation to opening discussions with COTS (Commercial Orbital Transportation Services) partners on providing such a vehicle. Known as ‘Capability D-minus’, several companies have noted the ability to make available a lifeboat vehicle from 2012. (9/17)

USA and ATK Work Out One-Week Extension (Source: Florida Today)
United Space Alliance and ATK have extended their contract by a week to hammer out an agreement to work together on the Ares I-X rocket. The agreement affects about 600 USA employees who work part time on the Ares project. The workers fill the hours of about 180 full-time employees. The extension reverses USA's refusal to sign another contract extension with ATK after the contract ends Sunday. "It's on hold," said USA spokesman Tracy Yates. (9/20)

Russian Proton Launches Nimiq 4 Satellite (Source: SpaceToday.net)
A Proton rocket successfully launched the Nimiq 4 satellite for a Canadian satellite operator early Saturday. The Proton-M lifted off from the Baikonur spaceport in Kazakhstan. The satellite, an EADS Astrium Eurostar E3000, weighed 4,850 kg at liftoff and carries a mix of Ku- and Ka-band transponders. The satellite will provide high-definition and other television programming to Canadian customers. The launch is the second mission in just under one month for the Proton; they were the first commercial Proton launches since a March launch failure. (9/20)

Space X Could Launch Next Falcon as Early as Sept. 23 (Source: Space News)
Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) is making preparations for a Falcon 1 launch attempt that could occur as soon as Sept. 23, according to an update posted on the Hawthorne, Calif.-based rocket company's Web site. (9/20)

"Gathering Storm" is Now Raging (Source: What's New)
Norm Augustine wrote a powerful editorial in a recent issue of Science. Retired as CEO of Lockheed, Augustine chaired the NAS committee that 3 years ago issued the Gathering Storm, a report that called for doubling the investment in math, physical sciences and engineering. However, funds to implement the Gathering Storm recommendations were lost in an orgy of congressional earmarking of projects for local districts.

Where, Augustine asks, were the voices of those who understood the consequences? More than half the increase in the U.S. gross domestic product is attributable to advances in science and technology. It is ironic that his editorial appeared even as the U.S. economy is teetering on the edge of collapse. (9/19)

Indian Cabinet Approves Lunar Mission with Russia (Source: Space News)
With the nation's first lunar orbiter, Chandrayaan-1, now slated for launch in late October, India's Cabinet approved Sept. 18 a joint mission with Russia that will include placing a rover on the Moon in 2011 or 2012. A budget of 4.25 billion rupees ($93 million) has been approved for Chandrayaan-2. The funding will be applied to mission development and launch, with a small portion to be used for minor upgrades to Indian ground facilities. (9/19)

SAIC Wins Extension of NASA Infotech Contract (Source: Space News)
NASA awarded Science Applications International Corp. (SAIC) of San Diego an 11-month information technology contract extension worth over $214 million. Under the extension announced Sept. 18, SAIC will continue to support the U.S. space agency under the omnibus Unified NASA Information Technology Services, or UNITeS, contract while NASA works to complete an information technology infrastructure realignment that includes the competition of multiple agency-wide contracts. (9/19)

France Ties its ESA Funding to Support for JASON-3 Program (Source: Space News)
France is threatening to withhold financial support for a suite of European space programs to be decided by European Space Agency (ESA) governments in November unless ESA finds a way to secure support for an ocean-altimetry satellite that has been a source of specific friction between France and Germany. French officials say they cannot accept the possibility that ocean-altimetry data, gathered without interruption since the early 1990s by a series of French and U.S. satellites, would be interrupted at a time when Europe is advertising its political commitment to operational Earth observation data for environmental and security uses. (9/19)

Opening The Window For Shenzhou 7 (Source: SpaceDaily.com)
In a few days, the launch window for China's Shenzhou 7 space mission will open. The mission is apparently slated for liftoff at 9:10 PM Beijing time on September 25. This flight will carry three astronauts for the first time, and include China's first spacewalk. Zhai Zhigang has been designated as the astronaut who will carry out this historic task. (9/20)