October 2 News Items

Second Delay for European Science Satellite Launch (Source: AFP)
The launch of a satellite to monitor Earth's gravitational field, which had been postponed from September 10 to October 5, has been delayed for a second time, the European Space Agency (ESA) said. The one-ton Gravity field and state-steady Ocean Circulation Explorer, or GOCE, now has a "tentative" launch date of October 27. Launch preparations at Russia's Plesetsk spaceport have been hit by a problem in the guidance and navigation subsystem in the launcher's upper stage, called the Breeze KM. (10/2)

New French Soyuz Launch Site to be Upgraded Next Year (Source: Flight International)
Construction of $28.3 million worth of equipment necessary to launch the latest version of the Soyuz rocket from French space agency CNES's spaceport in French Guiana, is under way to achieve a February 2010 maiden flight. That flight would see launch services company Arianespace provide the rocket for the first two of four in-orbit validation satellites, which are test spacecraft that are also part of the final 30-satellite constellation for the European Union's Galileo satellite navigation system. Its flight will be the first time a Soyuz rocket has not been launched from a Russian spaceport. (10/2)

Cape Canaveral Company Supports NASA Ames Contract (Source: Craig)
Craig Technologies will provide services under a NASA's Ames contract to SGT Inc. The Intelligent Systems Research and Development Support (ISRDS) Contract has a maximum value of $300 million and will provide support to the Intelligent Systems Division at Ames. The division conducts scientific research, develops technologies, builds applications and deploys advanced information systems technology into NASA missions and other federal government projects. Project areas include autonomous systems and robotics, collaborative and assistant systems, discovery and systems health, robust software engineering, and software systems engineering and software project management. Work will be performed at Ames. (10/2)

NASA Selects Science Teams for Astrobiology Institute (Source: NASA)
NASA has awarded five-year grants, averaging $7 million each, to 10 research teams from across the country to study the origins, evolution, distribution, and future of life in the universe. The interdisciplinary teams will become new members of the NASA Astrobiology Institute, located at NASA's Ames Research Center at Moffett Field, Calif. Teams from the University of Hawaii in Honolulu; Arizona State University in Tempe; the Carnegie Institution of Washington; Pennsylvania State University in University Park, Pa.; the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta; and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, N.Y., have been selected as members. Teams from Ames, NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., and two teams led by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., also have been selected. (10/2)

Technical Workshops Offered for Florida Aerospace Workforce (Source: SpaceTEC)
SpaceTEC is offering four 16-hour technical workshops and two professional certifications for eligible aerospace workers. Workshops will focus on composite materials technology, fiber optics, and non-destructive testing. SpaceTEC certifications will include the Certified Aerospace Technician Core Exam, and the SpaceTEC Vehicle Processing Concentration. Workshops are offered on weekday evenings and Saturdays. State workforce grant funds have been awarded to sponsor workforce access to these services. Call 321-394-0551 to see if you are eligible to participate at no cost. (10/2)

Campaigns Jockey for Space Voters (Source: ERAU)
As election day approaches, representatives from McCain and Obama campaigns have been attending various space events in Florida, including the recent Florida Space & Technology Forum in Brevard County, and the Space Solar Power Technology Workshop at Disney World. I had been anticipated that one or both candidates might attend the Space Shuttle launch to the Hubble Space Telescope, but that launch is now delayed until after the election. (10/2)

Embry-Riddle Establishes Advanced Aero-Propulsion Center (Source: ERAU)
Capitalizing on its strength in aerospace engineering and participation in a recent multi-year, multi-million dollar grant from the State of Florida, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University has established a Center of Excellence as part of its College of Engineering. The center will be devoted to advanced research in aeronautics and propulsion systems. Embry-Riddle is part of a consortium of four universities-—Florida State University, University of Central Florida, and University of Florida—-that was awarded a three-year $14.5 million grant in July to establish the Florida Center for Advanced Aero-Propulsion (FCAAP). These universities will work collaboratively to develop innovative next-generation technologies for aerospace and aviation commercial use. (10/2)

Embry-Riddle and Partners Demo Air Traffic Technology (Source: ERAU)
Embry-Riddle is a member of multiple FAA-sponsored Centers of Excellence for aviation technology and will sponsor a Nov. 18 demonstration of one of these centers' new tools for air traffic management, developed in partnership with partners like Boeing, Computer Sciences Corp., ENSCO, Lockheed Martin, and Mosaic ATM. The new tools are capable of reducing weather-related flight delays, reducing aircraft fuel consumption, and improving the efficiency of flight operations. The demonstration, to be held at Embry-Riddle’s NextGen testing facility at Daytona Beach International Airport. Embry-Riddle will also discuss these advances during the annual National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) conference and exhibition in Orlando on Oct. 6-8. (10/2)

SpaceX Offers NASA $80 Million Lunar Cargo Lander Service (Source: Flight International)
Space Exploration Technologies has proposed to NASA a robotic cargo lunar lander service that would be priced at $80 million per mission. SpaceX proposed the lander at a meeting with the US space agency because it is a member of Odyssey Space Research's team for NASA's Altair project office lander evaluation study that began in March. The SpaceX lander would deliver 1,000kg (2,200lb) to the Moon's surface in support of NASA's Altair missions. The unmanned Altair cargo version could deliver 14,000kg to the Moon. The SpaceX lander is launched by the company's heavy version of its Falcon 9 rocket. The standard version will make its maiden flight in 2009 with a first stage powered by nine Merlin 1C engines. The heavy version would use 27 engines with two Falcon 9 first stages as strap-on boosters. (10/2)

Workforce Flocking to BCC for Aerospace and SpaceTEC Training (Source: SpaceTEC)
The wind-down of the Space Shuttle program is shrinking the aerospace job market on Florida's Space Coast, so incumbent and prospective technician-level workers are trying to boost their employability with specialized training and certifications. Consequently, Brevard Community College's aerospace technical training program (and their SpaceTEC certification program) are seeing significant increases in enrollment. By the end of 2008, the program will have graduated over 100 people. There are 55 current full- and part-time students, and 20 new students are expected to enroll in January. Call SpaceTEC at 321-730-1020 for information. (10/2)

State Grants to Benefit SpaceX (Source: Florida Today)
Nearly $300,000 in state grant money designed to benefit Air Force-related projects in Brevard County will help fund a helium gas pipeline tied to an upcoming SpaceX launch and fend off future potential budget cuts at Patrick Air Force Base. The biggest chunk of the defense grants, about $200,000, will be used to install a helium gas pipeline to pressurize the flight tank for the Falcon 9, a nine-engine rocket SpaceX hopes to launch in 2009 from Launch Complex 40 in Cape Canaveral.

While the launch pad improvements immediately help the private SpaceX, the grant also benefits the Air Force. "It makes it more viable for either the Air Force to lease it for commercial applications or for them to use it themselves," said Paul Hanson, Space Coast Defense Alliance Committee chairman at the Economic Development Commission of Florida's Space Coast, which will administer the grants. A $97,875 defense reinvestment grant will be used by the EDC partly for an awareness campaign to help ward off budget cuts that could reduce the size or mission of Patrick. The grants were part of $2.25 million in state funds awarded to improve Florida's position as a host state for military installations and activities. (10/2)