October 18 News Items

More Notes on McCain's Speech (Sources: Space Politics, Orlando Sentinel)
McCain said that he, too, supported giving NASA $2 billion in additional funding. It was not completely clear whether his vow for increased funding for NASA meant the space agency was exempted from McCain's spending freeze for next year. The Obama campaign immediately seized on what it said was a change in McCain's space stance. "One day it's a spending freeze; the next day it's not; but whatever his stance is, Space Coast voters are looking for a change from the Bush-McCain policies that brought us to the brink of thousands of job losses," Obama spokeswoman Adrianne Marsh said. Visit http://www.spacepolitics.com/ to view the article. (10/18)

Put Down That Hatchet John! (Source: What's New)
Science made a fleeting appearance in the final question of last week's final presidential debate at Hofstra University. It was the only time the word "science" came up; there would be no more chances. The moderator, observed that "although the U.S. spends more per capita on education than any other country we trail in math and science competence from K through 12 ... what do you intend to do about it?" Obama called for us to "recruit an army of new teachers in math and science," with a tuition tax credit in exchange for "community service." As one who could not have become a physics professor but for the G.I. Bill, I agree. However, early in the debate, McCain was pressed to say what programs he would cut to avoid raising taxes, "An across-the-board spending freeze. OK? Some people say that’s a hatchet. That’s a hatchet, and then I get out a scalpel. OK?" Don’t bother with the scalpel, John, much of physics would need embalming if there was a spending freeze on top of this year’s huge budget cuts. Has anybody figured out how to run the country without taxes? (10/17)

Lunacy: The Discouraging Search for Intelligent Life (Source: What's New)
Considered a "developing nation" in which millions struggle to survive, India has 11 communications satellites and seven remote sensing satellites. That’s good. Next week, India will launch Chandrayaan-1 to the Moon, an ambitious "suicide" mission that will send back high-resolution images as well as an atmospheric profile as it plunges into the Moon’s surface. The stated goal of Chandrayaan-1 is to further human knowledge. In 2011, Chandrayaan-2 will look for He-3, which has no proven value. By simply skipping the unproductive phase of using human astronauts and going directly to robotic exploration, India and China could easily choose to outrace the developed nations by concentrating on remote-controlled robots at far lower cost while providing better science. The only niche left for human astronauts would be chamber maids to make beds for super rich tourists. (10/17)

Europe to Delay Mars Rover Mission (Source: SpaceToday.net)
The European Space Agency is expected to push back the launch of an ambitious Mars rover mission until the middle of the next decade because of growing costs. The ExoMars mission was planned for launch in 2013, but European governments have tentatively agreed to push the rover's launch back to the next launch window, in 2016, in order to cope with cost estimates that have grown to as much as $1.61 billion. Several national governments had expressed concern about the high price and threatened not to support the program in its current form. In addition to the schedule slip, the ExoMars price tag will be capped at $1.35 billion. ESA will also reportedly seek greater cooperation with the US and/or Russia to lower the cost of the mission to Europe. (10/18)

Introduction to 21st Century Supply Chain Management (Source: CSA)
Registration closes 10/22/08. Designed to provide a competitive edge and opportunities for aerospace and related industry suppliers, this semniar will be offered on October 27-29, 2008 at Boeing Huntington Beach, open to all OEM and agency supply chains at all levels including OEM SCM professionals. The tour and networking session with Boeing SCM and engineering, quality and manufacturing management will be limited to suppliers and training providers only on October 29. A highly-rated similar session was held at Lockheed Martin on September 2-4. To register, visit: http://www.innovatecalifornia.net. (10/18)

California Space Authority Sponsors Web-Based Legislative Survey (Source: CSA)
The California Space Authority is committed to bringing the perspective and priorities of the space enterprise community to Federal, State, and local policymakers. Using recommendations from the California Space Enterprise Strategic Plan 2007-10, CSA invites constituents to review and prioritize them for government attention. There is also a location for you to add any additional ideas that may not have come to the surface through the planning process. Visit http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=kfUzZcAsBmv%2fvAR43RifCA%3d%3d to participate in the survey. (10/17)

Plans for California Space Center Get Off the Ground (Source: Santa Barbara News-Press)
Four years after it was originally conceived, plans are moving forward for the construction of a $175 million California Space Center, an interactive site expected to bring more than a half-million visitors to the Central Coast each year. Leaders with the Santa Maria-based California Space Authority met with city officials and community members in Pismo Beach recently for an update on the center that will be built just outside of Vandenberg Air Force Base on Highway 1. "What better way to tell the public what space does for them in their everyday lives, from watching football on Direct TV, to Sirius radio, to the weather channel to remote sensing and GPS for farmers?" asked Andrea Seastrand, executive director of the California Space Authority and a former congresswoman. (10/13)

Wyle Key Part of Team for Marshall Health Services (Source: Wyle)
Wyle is a key partner in the winning team awarded the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center contract to provide occupational health services to site employees and contractors. The five year contract is valued at up to $24 million. As a subcontractor to HPM Corp., Wyle will perform a variety of tasks including industrial hygiene, health physics, and respiratory protection. (10/17)

Martinez: Space Has Friend in McCain (Source: Florida Today)
Sen. John McCain was introduced Friday by two of Florida's most-respected Republican politicians, Sen. Mel Martinez and Gov. Charlie Crist. Martinez of Orlando told the crowd that the Republican presidential candidate, as a colleague in the U.S. Senate, has always supported bills that help Florida's space program. "The space program has never has a better friend than John McCain," said Martinez, who fled Cuba when he was 15 years old. "The Straight Talk Express knows the importance of the American space program and that we can't rely on the Russians. This is a great man." (10/18)

Problems Prompt NASA to Wait on Restarting Hubble (Source: Washington Post)
NASA yesterday suspended a plan to restart the Hubble Space Telescope by using long-dormant backup equipment onboard after the effort ran into problems. Agency scientists said they remain optimistic that they will overcome the difficulties, but they said they do not yet know why the computer that controls all the science instruments shut down as the backup equipment was powering up. If an Earth-based fix cannot be found, virtually all of the science instruments on the orbiting observatory will be shut down until astronauts arrive for a repair and replacement mission planned for next year. (10/18)

Funding our Future: Washington, We Have a Problem (Source: Coalition for Space Exploration)
The Coalition for Space Exploration emphasizes the need for both Presidential candidates to ensure NASA remains on course with its program objectives and is afforded the financial means to succeed. Coalition board member Bob Crippen says each Presidential candidate's theme - "country first" and "change" - can be directly applied to the needs of America's space program. "By adequately funding space exploration, we put 'country first,' ensuring our ability to achieve grand technological advancements and enhance our national security and prosperity. A funded commitment to our country's space program certainly qualifies as 'change,' as over the past decade, NASA's budget has been cut seven times, declining to approximately 0.6% of the federal budget. (10/18)