February 18 News Items

Japan Unveils New Rocket (Source: SpaceDaily.com)
Nestled in a cavernous but air-tight hangar, scientists are putting the finishing touches to Japan's H-2B rocket, hoping it will boost the country's prestige when it blasts off later this year. Japan's space agency and industrial giant Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) last week unveiled the rocket's body to a group of reporters, but only after submitting them to a rigorous procedure of finger-printing, an air shower to remove all dust and a requirement to wear chemical suits.

The H-2B -- designed to take supplies to the International Space Station (ISS) and launch satellites -- is more imposing than its predecessor, the H-2A. When it is ready, the H-2B is expected to be 56 meters (185 feet) tall, three meters more than its sister rocket. The rocket is 5.2 meters wide -- compared to four meters for the H-2A -- weighs 530 tonnes, and is equipped with two engines and four booster rockets. (2/17)

Russians May be Liable for U.S. Satellite Loss in Collision (Source: Spaceports Blog)
The Russians may be liable to the United States and the owners of the Iridium 33 satellite destroyed in the recent collision with Russia's Cosmos 2251 satellite, according to space law attorney Stephen E. Doyle in response to a question posed on The Space Show. Under the United Nations 1972 Convention on International Liability for Damage Caused by Space Objects, the United States will have one year from the date of loss of the Iridium 33 to make a damage claim against the Cosmos 2251 satellite launch state. Doyle noted that the Cosmos 2251 satellite was not registered and commercially tracked after launched from the Plesetsk spaceport in 1993. Under the United Nations 1976 Convention on Registration of Objects Launched into Outer Space, the Cosmos 2251 was required to be in compliance with the convention. (2/17)

Space Florida Rebuttal Incorrectly References Workforce Letter (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
Space Florida President Steve Kohler on Tuesday quoted a letter from the head of the Brevard Workforce Development Board (BWDB) as proof Space Florida was working to create new space jobs in Florida, contrary to a report in the Orlando Sentinel. It turns out that the letter had nothing to do with Space Florida at all. The letter was addressed to Lt. Gov. Jeff Kottkamp, who also serves as the chairman of Space Florida’s board of directors, offering thanks for a grant of state money managed by BWDB for workforce support efforts aimed at mitigating Space Shuttle job losses.

The money referred to was awarded to BWDB in 2008 by a different state agency, not Space Florida. Space Florida had previously provided $260,000 to BWDB in 2007 for a survey of workers at Kennedy Space Center likely to be impacted by the retirement of the shuttle. About $20,000 was used by BWDB to develop a training video. According to a Space Florida spokeswoman: “Space Florida's role helped build the foundation which has been leveraged by additional state funding for workforce efforts.” (2/18)

Europa Picked for Next Big Planetary Mission (Source: Nature)
NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) have chosen Jupiter's moons as the destination for their upcoming joint outer planet flagship mission. A trip to Saturn's moon Titan needs further study, the agencies decided. The Europa Jupiter System Mission will launch two orbiters, one built by NASA and the other by the ESA, in 2020, with a scheduled arrival time in the Jupiter system of 2026. The NASA orbiter will study the icy shell of Jupiter's moon Europa, which may harbour an ocean capable of supporting life. The ESA orbiter will investigate Ganymede, the largest moon in the solar system, which has a unique magnetic field. (2/18)

Biofuel Rocket Engine Gets Test Run (Source: Discovery)
The U.S. aerospace industry is officially onboard the biofuel bandwagon, with the test fire of a small rocket engine that burns commercially available biodiesel. California-based Flometrics did the honors and discovered the Rocketdyne LR-101 engine produced nearly the same amount of thrust burning biodiesel as it did chugging through a kerosene-based conventional rocket fuel. "We found it was very comparable," said a company executive. Flometrics is now assembling components for an actual launch, targeted for later this month. Harrington is hoping the demonstration will spark interest in renewable fuels from NASA and the Air Force. (2/18)

FAA Will Consolidate Space Florida Launch Site License Applications (Source: Space Florida)
Space Florida’s efforts to secure licenses for two launch sites has been significantly streamlined by quick approval by the FAA of Space Florida’s request to consolidate FAA Launch Site Operator license applications. The request includes consolidating licenses for Space Launch Complex-46 (SLC-46) as well Space Launch Complex-36 (SLC-36) at the Cape Canaveral Spaceport as part of the proposed Commercial Launch Zone (CLZ). The FAA approved the request last week. (2/17)

Domino Effect Follows Discovery Launch Delay (Source: AIA)
At least three launches face delays due to the shifting schedule for space shuttle Discovery's next mission to the International Space Station. A California satellite launch already has been pushed back one day, and two Atlas V launches from Cape Canaveral also are under review. NASA officials are scheduled to decide on Friday whether technical issues with Discovery have been resolved, allowing the shuttle to launch on Feb. 27. (2/18)

Spacehab Comes to Space Florida's Defense (Source: Spacehab)
In an open letter dated Feb. 17, Spacehab CEO Tom Pickens (son of oilman T. Boone Pickens), wrote that Spacehab "has enjoyed an excellent relationship with Space Florida over the past few years," adding that Space Florida has assisted the company's biotech initiative aimed at vaccine development in microgravity. He also wrote that Spacehab's Astrotech subsidiary plans to work with Space Florida on "solutions related to bringing the commercial satellite launch industry back to Florida." (2/18)

Japan Opens Astronaut Training Center to the Public (Source: Daily Mainichi)
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's (JAXA) Tsukuba Space Center is offering members of the public the chance to experience astronaut training, using equipment used by real Japanese astronauts. There are four types of exercise available to visitors. For extra-vehicular activity training -- spacewalking -- visitors can take on the roles of mission controllers and astronauts, and try their hand at fixing the heat shielding around a life-size mockup of the Kibo Japanese experiment module, wearing a spacesuit and helmet. Visitors can also try closed-space joint work aboard the ISS, training for emergencies such as air leak, and remote piloting of a lunar exploration rover. (2/18)

NASA Administrator Delay and the Battle for the Ares 1 (Source: Space Politics)
The Houston Chronicle offers a possible explanation regarding why it’s taken the Obama Administration so long to select a new NASA administrator: a battle among businesses and politicians for the future of the Ares 1. On one side are supporters of the Ares 1, including ATK, Boeing, and Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne, as well as Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL). On the other side are United Launch Alliance, which would like to see the Ares 1 replaced with an EELV-derived vehicle, and its Congressional supporters, which the article claims includes Sens. Mark Udall (D-CO) and Richard Shelby (R-AL). (2/18)

Space Tourism a New Focus for Hawaii's Visitor Industry? (Source: KHNL)
Hawaii's unique landscape and weather attracts visitors from around the world. But what about out of this world? Some state lawmakers say space tourism is where Hawaii's future lies. Space tourism is, potentially, a billion-dollar global industry. Could Hawaii become a major player in the quest to boldly go where only some have gone before? Jim Crisafulli is the director of the state's Office of Aerospace Development, run by the state's Department of Business, Economic Development, & Tourism. "Aerospace is one of the definitive growth industries for the state. It's one of these industries that once it matures it will not be exported. And the reason for that is what Hawaii has." Click here to view the article. (2/18)

Evidence is Mounting that Iran Used Beefed-up Rocket (Source: New Scientist)
The evidence is mounting that the Iranian rocket recently used to launch a satellite was more powerful and advanced than initially thought. Iran entered the exclusive club of nations capable of putting things in Earth orbit on Feb. 2 when it launched a small satellite using a homegrown rocket for the first time. Called Omid, or "Hope", the satellite is a 40-centimeter-wide cube with a mass of 27 kilograms. But there is debate about whether the rocket that launched it was relatively crude and inefficient, operating at the limits of its capabilities, or a more advanced type that could eventually be upgraded to put astronauts in orbit.

Iran has released few details about the rocket, called Safir-2, leaving outsiders to guess at its capabilities. Initially, outside rocket experts thought the Safir-2 was based on scud missile technology, which Iran is known to have obtained previously from North Korea. But even a two-stage scud-type rocket, with the second stage separating and igniting after the first stage provided an initial burst of speed, would not be powerful enough to reach orbit.

So it was thought that Iran had mounted a very small, solid-fueled third stage on this kind of launch vehicle to provide the final kick needed to get Omid to orbit. But soon after Omid's launch, amateur satellite trackers reported that the final stage, which also reached orbit, appears much too bright to be a tiny third stage, hinting that it might be a two-stage vehicle using more advanced technology instead. New calculations have reinforced this view, showing that a two-stage rocket the size of Safir-2 could get Omid to orbit if it had ditched the scud design in favour of engines that use more efficient hydrazine fuel. (2/18)

First Liquid Water May Have Been Observed on Mars (Source: New Scientist)
NASA's Phoenix lander may have captured the first images of liquid water on Mars - droplets that apparently splashed onto the spacecraft's leg during landing, according to some members of the Phoenix team. The controversial observation could be explained by the mission's previous discovery of perchlorate salts in the soil, since the salts can keep water liquid at sub-zero temperatures. Researchers say this antifreeze effect makes it possible for liquid water to be widespread just below the surface of Mars, but point out that even if it is there, it may be too salty to support life as we know it.

A few days after Phoenix landed on 25 May 2008, it sent back an image showing mysterious splotches of material attached to one of its legs. Strangely, the splotches grew in size over the next few weeks, and Phoenix scientists have been debating the origin of the objects ever since. One intriguing possibility is that they were droplets of salty water that grew by absorbing water vapour from the atmosphere. (2/18)

Sirius XM Wins a Critical Loan From Liberty Media (Source: New York Times)
Sirius XM Radio struck an investment deal with Liberty Media, the owner of DirecTV, helping the beleaguered satellite radio company stave off a default on some of its bonds and a potential bankruptcy filing. The agreement also fends off an aggressive takeover by EchoStar Communications. EchoStar owns the Dish Network and had purchased Sirius debt in hopes of acquiring the company in case it defaulted on debt due Tuesday.

Liberty will provide Sirius up to $530 million in loans in exchange for preferred stock that is convertible to 40 percent of Sirius’s equity. Liberty’s chairman and its chief executive are expected to take seats on Sirius’s board. Liberty will first provide a $280 million loan to cover $171.6 million in bonds owned by EchoStar and another $150 million loan later. Liberty has also offered to acquire up to $100 million of Sirius’s bank loans. (2/18)

China Plans to Launch 3rd Ocean Survey Satellite in 2010 (Source: Xinhua)
China plans to launch a third ocean survey satellite in 2010 to upgrade its capacity for maritime weather forecasting and disaster relief. The satellite, Haiyang-2A, an ocean dynamic environmental satellite, will be used to monitor ocean wind fields, sea levels and temperatures. China plans to have a system consisting of ocean color remote sensing satellites, ocean dynamic environment satellites and ocean surveillance satellites. (2/18)

India Set to Use Indigenously Developed Cryogenic Engine for GSLV Launch (Source: Business Standard)
The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) is expected to launch a Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) in July this year, using an indigenously developed cryogenic engine. The flight that is likely to launch the GSAT-4 into orbit will mark the end of India's dependence on Russia, which had been supplying the cryogenic engines since 1991. India has so far launched five GSLV rockets.

The launch vehicle is capable of placing a 2-ton satellite into a geostationary transfer orbit, uses all the three kinds of propellants — solid, liquid and cryogenic. The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) uses only solid and liquid propellants and is capable of carrying payloads less than 2 tons. (2/17)

Europe Plans to Monitor Space Junk (Source: Spiegel)
Billions of euros in sensitive equipment are orbiting Earth. And so is an increasing amount of dangerous debris. The European Space Agency is launching a concerted, and expensive, program to help keep track of space junk. When the crash came, Europe didn't have a clue. After two satellites collided last week, the European Space Agency (ESA) had to ask the United States for information in order to gauge the danger the space debris presented to its own satellites. The Space Surveillance Network is an American program that constantly monitors more than 17,000 objects in Earth's orbit -- and the up-to-date information it provided also helped the Europeans get out of an awkward situation. (2/17)

Satellite Collision Triggers Calls for "Space Traffic Regulations" (Source: Xinhua)
The U.S.-Russian satellite collision not only caused a disturbance to the outer space, but also helped to arouse concern among space explorers about such accidents. The whole world has been reflecting on the inefficiency of existing space surveillance systems and has been calling for the introduction of new "space traffic regulations." Click here to view the article. (2/17)

The Race to Find Alien Earths (Source: MSNBC)
NASA is gearing up for a space race that's expected to point to the first truly Earthlike worlds beyond our solar system - and, like the race to put the first human on the moon, this marathon will take several years to run. The roots of the race go back more than a decade, when pioneers in the planet-hunting field started detecting worlds around suns beyond our own. The techniques used back then couldn't find other Earths in planetary systems like our own.

Next month, NASA picks up the pace with the launch of its Kepler satellite, equipped with a planet-seeking telescope. Astronomers expect Kepler to turn up some true Earthlike planets, in Earthlike orbits, around sunlike stars. The biggest factor behind that schedule has to do with the time scale of a planet's orbit. It takes at least three orbits for astronomers to confirm that the dimming of the star is really caused by a planet rather than, say, the brightness cycles of a variable star or a binary-star system. (2/17)

Companies Plan GlobalTag Venture Combining GPS, RFID and Satellite Communications (Source: PR Newswire)
Numerex Corp. and Savi, a Lockheed Martin company, announced a technology partnership to co-develop what would be the first asset and shipment monitoring device that combines GPS, active Radio Frequency Identification and Satellite Communications. The hybrid ST-694 GlobalTag is being developed to provide continuous monitoring and precise location information of assets most anywhere and anytime for defense, public sector and commercial customers. (2/17)

Europe Seeks to Take Lead on Space Junk (Source: AIA)
The European Space Agency says it has launched a program to better monitor the 13,000 man-made objects orbiting the Earth. "We need to be receiving much more precise data in order to prevent further collisions," ESA's Jean-Francois Kaufeler said Monday in reference to last week's satellite smashup. The $64 million Space Situational Awareness program will seek to develop international standards for describing and tracking debris, as well as encouraging greater openness in sharing data. (2/17)

Space Florida President Responds to News Article (Source: Space Florida)
Space Florida President Steve Kohler distributed an open letter to Florida legislators and the agency's clients in response to "refute inaccuracies" included in a Feb. 15 Orlando Sentinel article titled: “Florida’s Space Boosters Failed to Launch, Critics Say.” Click here to view the Sentinel article, and click here to view Mr. Kohler's response. (2/17)