October 15 News Items

President Signs NASA Authorization Act of 2008 (Source: NASA Watch)
White House Statement: "H.R. 6063, the "National Aeronautics and Space Administration Authorization Act of 2008," which authorizes appropriations to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) for Fiscal Year 2009; requires NASA to add to its baseline flight manifest two Space Shuttle missions to the International Space Station and take all necessary steps to fly a third additional Shuttle mission; requires NASA to take steps to ensure that the International Space Station remains viable through at least 2020; and affirms congressional support for U.S. space exploration policy." (10/15)

Florida Congressional Candidates Set Space Priorities (District 15) (Source: ERAU)
The congressional district currently served by retiring Congressman Dave Weldon (and includes half of the Cape Canaveral Spaceport) is being contested by Dr. Steve Blythe (D-Indialantic) and State Senator Bill Posey (R-Rockledge). Posey is a veteran state legislator and real estate businessman. Blythe is a physician who would be new to political office.

Steve Blythe - "The administration of Bush and Weldon not only abandoned NASA, they de-emphasized science completely. They gagged scientific discussion of global climate change, they disallowed stem-cell research, they hobbled NASA...We need to look at NASA's priorities to strengthen NASA for the future. NASA needs to get back to its core mission: life science research utilizing the International Space Station and deep space research."

Bill Posey - "Whoever is pre-eminent in space will control the security and the destiny of Earth. I think that needs to be Americans, not Russians, not Chinese. To secure a place for future generations, and to keep this country free, we need to be dominant in space. Nobody will work harder, or has worked harder, to try and secure a future for the people that work at our Space Center." (10/15)

Space Coast Papers Offer Congressional Endorsements (Source: Space Politics)
Florida Today has endorsed Bill Posey for the Congressional seat being vacated by retiring Rep. Dave Weldon. Posey, a Republican, is running against Democrat Steve Blythe (who beat out a staunchly pro-space candidate in the Democratic primary in August) and two independents. An editorial argues that Posey will be a “strong advocate for NASA and its moon plan”, in part because of his work as a state legislator to get state support for the Cape. By contrast, the editorial argues, Blythe’s “opposition to NASA’s manned moon program, saying it’s not worth the cost, is a huge mistake the Space Coast cannot afford.” That appears to be something of a misreading of Blythe’s rambling space policy document, unless Blythe has said otherwise in campaign speeches or ads.

Meanwhile, Blythe did win the endorsement of the Orlando Sentinel. Interestingly, the editorial makes no mention of space in its decision, but space does come up elsewhere in the same editorial when the paper endorses Democrat Suzanne Kosmas in her bid to unseat Republican Congressman Tom Feeney in the neighboring 24th district. Feeney is “a steadfast advocate for the U.S. space program”, the editorial argues, but that position is not enough to offset the paper’s concerns about Feeney on other topics. Kosmas, meanwhile, “supports the space program, but she’d also direct resources at the space center toward developing alternative energy.” That support of alternative energy research at NASA isn’t reflected in her brief space policy statement on her campaign site, which states she would fully fund NASA and minimize the impact of the Shuttle-Constellation gap. (10/13)

Florida State House Candidates Set Space Priorities (District 29) (Source: ERAU)
Florida's House District 29, which is near the Cape Canaveral Spaceport and serves many of its workers, is being contested by incumbent Rep. Ralph Poppell (R-Titusville) and Wes McCarville (D-Rockledge). Poppell was originally elected in 2002 and is a businessman. McCarville is chairman of the Democratic Executive Committee and a former Army Infantryman.

Wes McCarville - "America’s space program is known around the world as leaders in innovation and this tradition of excellence must be continued. With the retirement of the space shuttle in 2010 and the Constellation program being pushed back to 2015 the potential impact on the communities of the Space Coast is drastic and must be moved on by political leaders. I am committed to working with other elected officials protect against the loss of over 6,500 jobs at Kennedy Space Center and connected industries. Private space ventures do have a home here on the space coast and would be welcomed with sensitivity to the delicate ecosystem and thriving tourism industry that already exists."

Ralph Poppell - Rep. Poppell has won the endorsement of Florida Today, which mentioned: "Most recently, he joined with other members of the Brevard County delegation to get $15 million to help build a commercial launch pad at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. That could bring in new launch companies and help create post-shuttle jobs." "We've had 50 years in the space program here, I'd like to see at least 50 more." (10/15)

Famed Astrophysicist to Present New Theory at Embry-Riddle (Source: ERAU)
In the last decade, more than 300 planets outside our solar system have been detected, some orbiting nearby stars, others hovering alone in space. Many of these new finds have called into question the accepted theories on planet and star formation. A world-recognized expert on planet formation, Dr. Alan Boss, notes that nearly all of the new planets appear to be gas giant planets, similar to our Jupiter and Saturn.

“Previously, most astrophysicists explained the formation of gas giant planets using the core-accretion model,” said Dr. Boss. “In this theory, collisions between small bodies of ice and rock form a solid planetary core. Later, the core gains a gaseous atmosphere from the nebular disk and the planet grows to its final size. Taking a new tack, Boss has developed various disk-instability models in which gravitational volatility in the nebular disk causes gas and dust to break up into clumps, some of which contract into a core and quickly grow into a giant gaseous planet. In this model, it takes only a thousand years or so for a protoplanet to form.

On Friday, Oct. 24, at 4 p.m., Dr. Boss will elaborate on his ideas in a talk titled “The Crowded Universe: The Search for Living Planets,” scheduled for Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University’s Willie Miller Instructional Center, Room 104. Free and open to the public, this lecture by Dr. Boss is offered by the Physical Sciences Department at Embry-Riddle as part of its Star and Planet Formation conference. (10/15)

Defense Industry Fears Leaner Years Ahead (Source: AIA)
With federal bailouts for the financial sector now approaching the $1 trillion mark, analysts say it will be "nearly impossible" for military spending to continue its eight-year growth record. "Both candidates will use the Pentagon as a bill payer for domestic priorities," predicts Mackenzie Eaglen, a national security expert at the Heritage Foundation. Expensive, complex programs such as the F-22 stealth fighter and Future Combat Systems are seen as most likely to feel the pain of budget cuts. "This is not a simple problem," warns Fred Downey, vice president of national security for the Aerospace Industries Association. "We can't afford to stop any of these programs." (10/15)

Texas Elected Officials Take Center Stage at NASA Event (Source: The Citizen)
There is a sizeable segment of the United States’ population that has never known a time without NASA. If it’s up to U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, U.S. Rep. Nick Lampson, U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee and Harris County Precinct 2 Commissioner Sylvia R. Garcia, none of us ever will. On Wednesday, Oct. 8, these elected officials joined Ellen Ochoa, former astronaut and now deputy director, NASA-Johnson Space Center, along with a few hundred others, in celebrating NASA’s 50th anniversary. The Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership hosted the golden celebration. Bob Mitchell, BAHEP president, opened the ceremony. (10/15)

Lunar Prospecting Robot To Be Field Tested in Hawaii (Source: Carnegie Mellon)
The cool, rocky slopes of Mauna Kea, a dormant volcano that is Hawaii's highest mountain, will serve as a stand-in for the moon as researchers from Carnegie Mellon University's Robotics Institute, NASA and other organizations test a robot designed for lunar prospecting. During the field experiment, Nov. 1-13, the robot called Scarab will simulate a lunar mission to extract water, hydrogen, oxygen and other compounds that could potentially be mined for use by future lunar explorers. The four-wheeled robot will trek to different sites, using a Canadian-built drill to obtain a one-meter geologic core at each site. (10/15)

Feeney's No-Spend Credo Makes Exception for NASA (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
U.S. Rep. Tom Feeney is driven by two conflicting goals. The Central Florida Republican wants to shrink the size of government. At the same time, he works hard to grow NASA -- an agency often derided by fiscal conservatives as a waste of taxpayer money. Last month, Feeney introduced a bill that would increase NASA's budget by at least $8 billion and then voted against a $700 billion Wall Street bailout plan he called the "largest leap toward socialism in my lifetime."

It's not unusual for a member of Congress to push money for his district while denouncing federal spending. But for Feeney, a rock-hard conservative considered a rising star when the House was led by Republicans, it's an exception that stands out. Feeney doesn't see a contradiction. While funding NASA with federal dollars clearly benefits workers at Kennedy Space Center -- which lies inside his east Central Florida district -- it is also the "most efficient" means to ensure U.S. superiority in space, he said. (10/15)

Argentina Wants Russian Helicopters, Space Assistance (Source: RIA Novosti)
Argentina is seeking to buy Russian helicopters and send an astronaut into space, the Russian Security Council secretary said during his visit to the Latin American country. Nikolai Patrushev met with the Argentine prime minister, foreign minister, defense minister and intelligence chief in Buenos Aires. Jorge Bernetti said prospects to prepare Argentine pilots for missions into space had been discussed at the meeting. Russia's space agency Roscosmos said Wednesday that Argentine astronauts could be trained at its Moscow Region training center, adding that the consent of the ISS parties was needed to go to the International Space Station, and flights were set until 2012. (10/15)

Europe Aims For Re-entry Spacecraft (Source: Space.com)
Plenty of European astronauts and hardware have gone up to the space station or to other orbits around Earth, but now the European Space Agency (ESA) is thinking of ways to get them back down on their own. A Vega rocket on the drawing boards is slated to carry ESA's Intermediate eXperimental Vehicle (IXV) into space in 2012. The stubby white-and-black spacecraft is designed to use two rear flaps in a paddling motion to steer itself during atmospheric reentry. Such a demonstration craft could perhaps pave the way for Europe to return its astronauts to Earth without relying on the U.S. or Russian space programs. (10/15)

Pentagon Envisions Spaceship Troops (Source: USA Today)
The Pentagon wants to rocket troops through space to hot spots anywhere on the globe within two hours, and planners spent two days last month discussing how to do it, military documents show. Civilian and military officials held a two-day conference at the National Security Space Office to plan development of the Small Unit Space Transport and Insertion (SUSTAIN) program. The invitation to the conference called the notion of space troopers a "potential revolutionary step in getting combat power to any point in the world in a timeframe unachievable today."

The next steps toward getting troops in space: addressing the technological challenges and seeking input from the military, said a space office spokesman. No further meetings have been scheduled. Marines launched the concept after the Sept. 11 terror attacks. They needed the "capability to transport small, mission-tailored units through space from any point on the globe to a contingency at any other point on the globe" within minutes of an order. (10/15)

China Needs Sharper Eyes in Space (Source: Asia Times)
If China wants to become a dominant space power, it must step up and take a leading role in providing new Earth observation satellite (EOSAT) technology. However, the field is crowded and becoming more so, making this a far more difficult task than previously thought. China has been slow to make any significant headway in the global satellite communications market, and sharing EOSAT technology was sitting at the top of the list when it outlined its regional "space cooperation" priorities in October 2005. That's when the Asia-Pacific Space Cooperation Organization (APSCO) Convention was signed in Beijing by China, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Iran, Mongolia, Pakistan, Peru, Thailand and later Turkey. (10/15)

Sheboygan Spaceport Preview Offers a Hands-on Experience (Source: Sheboygan Press)
With a real NASA control panel, the ability to take a virtual trip through outer space and paper rockets flying all over the place, the Sheboygan Armory looked a lot like Mission Control Tuesday night. A three-day open house, with hands-on demonstrations for kids of all ages, was held at the armory. "I think it's awesome, it's so cool, it's so neat," said Jessica Heinen, 30, of Sheboygan, who celebrated the flight of her rocket across the gymnasium floor. Oh yes, Heinen also thought the event was fun for the kids, including her 6-year-old daughter, Ariana. (10/15)