February 3 News Items

NASA Delays Shuttle Launch by at Least a Week (Source: Reuters)
NASA has delayed the year's first shuttle launch by at least a week to give engineers more time to analyze potential problems with valves that keep fuel flowing in the shuttle Discovery's main engines. Discovery had been set for launch on February 12 on a mission to deliver the International Space Station's last solar power wing and drop off a Japanese astronaut who is joining the station crew. The launch was pushed back to no earlier than February 19, a NASA official said. (2/3)

Smallest Known Transiting Planet Discovered (Source: Science News)
Astronomers report today that they have found an extrasolar planet no more than 11 times Earth’s mass with a diameter about twice that of Earth. The discovery may ultimately provide groundbreaking information about the composition and structure of terrestrial planets beyond the solar system. Once the team can refine an estimate of the planet’s mass, "this could be a potentially huge discovery, one that we've been waiting for for a long time," comments theorist Sara Seager of MIT. "I'm excited to see what more the team will find out about this prospective terrestrial planet." (2/3)

Northrop Grumman Posts First Quarterly Loss in 7 Years (Source: LA Times)
Northrop Grumman posted its first quarterly loss in seven years as it wrote off the declining value of businesses it acquired several years ago. But sales of weapons and military electronics increased and helped the company jump over its rival Boeing Co. to become the nation's second-largest defense contractor. Lockheed Martin Corp. is No. 1. Northrop also surged ahead of Boeing as one of the largest private employers in Southern California with more than 27,000 employees.

The company said the value of its backlog of military orders rose to a record $78 billion, up 22% from $63.7 billion a year earlier. Still, Northrop said it lost $2.5 billion in the fourth quarter after it took a previously announced accounting write down of $3.1 billion to reflect the lower value of its Litton Industries Inc. and TRW Inc. acquisitions. Without the non-cash charge to earnings, Northrop said it would have posted a quarterly profit of $524 million, up 15% from $457 million a year earlier. Sales increased 4% to $9.2 billion. (2/3)

Beijing Wants it Both Ways in Space (Source: Asia Times)
In the first few days of the new Barack Obama administration, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton declared that the US needs "a comprehensive dialogue with China" and space-related matters will certainly be part of this dialogue. Transparency will certainly be one of the most important issues to be addressed. China has kept the world almost completely in the dark about many of its space activities for far too long. There is a lot of lingering doubt and uncertainty about China's intentions in space.

Establishing the rules of the roads regarding space launches is one thing, and, maintaining safety measures for existing satellites and space vehicles while providing greater certainty in the commercial space realm is vital. But the search for transparency in this case propels the US onto stormy seas at a time when greater global cooperation is widely seen as a necessity given the adverse economic climate. (2/3)

NASA KSC Readies for Big Constellation Ground Services Contract (Source: ERAU)
NASA's Kennedy Space Center has released a draft Performance Work Statement (PWS) for a proposed Exploration Ground Launch Services (EGLS) contract procurement. The draft PWS contains the requirements and definitions of Constellation operations (includes validation of the launch site and recovery/retrieval assets) as defined today. Also included are options for Space Shuttle Program Transition and Retirement (SSP T&R) at Kennedy Space Center, International Space Station (ISS) Orbital Replacement Unit (ORU) processing, and Launch Services Program (LSP) hazardous fueling operations. For more information on this upcoming solicitation, visit http://prod.nais.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/eps/synopsis.cgi?acqid=133661. Editor's Note: most of the work envisioned under this procurement, at least as it relates to the Space Shuttle, is currently being done by United Space Alliance, Florida's largest space industry employer. (2/3)

Station Shaken Too Hard, Possibly Damaged (Source: Florida Today)
NASA is looking into whether the International Space Station was badly damaged last month during a rocket-firing to reposition the outpost for the arrival of an automated cargo tug. A rocket firing ended abruptly and shook the station more severely than usual. Those vibrations can damage structural supports and delicate components like solar arrays, so engineers are now studying whether the damage is bad enough to shorten the station's service life, according to the newspaper report. (2/3)

Iran Launches Satellite (Source: SpaceToday.net)
An Iranian rocket placed a small satellite into Earth orbit on Monday night, marking the first successful orbital launch by the Middle Eastern nation. According to domestic media reports, a Safir-2 rocket lifted off and placed the Omid spacecraft, said to be a small communications and technology demonstration satellite, into low Earth orbit. The exact time and location of the launch were not disclosed, but both the spacecraft and its spent upper stage are being tracked in elliptical orbits. Iran claimed to have launched a satellite in August, but no spacecraft reached orbit and the launch was dismissed as a failure and perhaps only a ballistic missile test. Iranian officials said last month that they planned to launch a satellite by March 20; Monday night's launch was timed to coincide with the beginning of celebrations of the 30th anniversary of the Iranian revolution. (2/3)

Space Travel to Take a Rest in 2009 (Source: Tourism Review)
It may not be the average person’s idea of a typical holiday, yet space travel certainly has a tendency to grab headlines. It is possible to label it the most expensive brand of tourism anywhere. It attracts attention for two reasons, firstly the fact that the world’s financial elite enjoys space travel and, secondly, it is so original. However, now it seems the space voyages will have to stop for a while. March this year will see the final space voyage for a while, as the Space Station doubles its crew size. The break has been viewed as a lull before a storm as Virgin Galactic will begin commercial flights around 2011. Apparently, around 300 passengers have already booked their flights. (2/3)

British Firms Developing Air-Launch System (Source: Press Association)
Two British firms are looking into developing a rocket capable of putting small satellites in orbit. Surrey Satellite Technology (SSTL) and Sir Richard Branson's space travel venture Virgin Galactic want to build a device that can be launched from an aircraft and carry satellites hundreds of miles above the earth's surface. The concept would be similar to the US Pegasus system. Virgin Galactic features a carrier jet known as WhiteKnightTwo. It is intended to lift the space tourists' rocket plane up to launch height. But SSTL and Virgin Galactic are working on the idea of using the aircraft as a platform to release a British commercial satellite launcher. (2/3)

Yuri's Night Team Launches Space Raffle (Source: PR.com)
The executive council for the Yuri's Night World Space Party has launched a new fund-raising campaign at SpaceRaffle.net, the world's first long term raffle campaign supporting a space cause. Starting with a raffle of up to $500 in travel / accommodation funds for the winner to attend any Yuri's Night celebration worldwide, the Space Raffle intend to grow substantially over the next several years. The Space Raffle plans to begin raffling Zero Gravity flights of the same type of airplane traveling in parabolic flight patterns simulating weightlessness that NASA uses for microgravity experiments and the training of astronauts. (2/3)

Florida Teachers to Travel in Zero G (Source: Florida Today)
Although living on the Space Coast, most locals can only dream of going into space and experiencing the thrills of weightlessness. For several lucky Florida school teachers, that dream will become a reality as they take part in Space Florida’s Education Flights on the Zero G airplane. Atlantis Elementary third-grade art teacher Christie Berrier is doubly grateful she was selected to be a participant because her Sunday flight Feb 8 may very well be the last of its kind.

Five other teachers from Brevard County — Brad McFarland, Douglas Grogan, Lynne Boucher, Alison Redd and Andrea Marston — will accompany Berrier, along with several dozen other teachers from other Central Florida counties. Each teacher is invited to come up with experiments they can perform and then take the results back into the classroom. For information about the education flights, visit www.spaceflorida.gov/education2.php (2/3)

Google and NASA Back New School for Futurists (Source: Financial Times)
Google and NASA are throwing their weight behind a new school for futurists at NASA's Ames Research Center to prepare scientists for an era when machines become cleverer than people. The “Singularity University” will be headed by Ray Kurzweil, whose predictions about the exponential pace of technological change have made him a controversial figure. Google and NASA’s backing demonstrates the growing mainstream acceptance of Mr Kurzweil’s views, which include a claim that before the middle of this century artificial intelligence will outstrip human beings, ushering in a new era of civilization. The university will offer courses on biotechnology, nano-technology and artificial intelligence. (2/3)

Despite Calls for Space weapons Ban, Russia and China Bring Guns Into Space (Source: Russia Today)
Among the training regimes that Russian cosmonauts pass before being admitted into orbit is the shooting range. The reason is that they must learn how to use a special three-barreled gun found on every Soyuz spacecraft. The TP-82 gun is part of the survival kit and is meant to be used on terra firma if cosmonauts land in the wilderness. A gun in orbit is a controversial issue. NASA traditionally keeps a ‘no firearms on board’ policy, and their astronauts’ survival kit has had a machete-like knife as its only weapon for decades. When the International Space Station project was launched, the status of a pistol on Russian ships became one of the tricky legal questions.

Some people like astronaut James Oberg called for discarding the gun, saying the country calling for a ban of weapons in space should show a good example and citing concerns over the enlargement of the ISS crews and the likely rise of tension between members. The Russian Space Agency held its ground and the TP-82 kept its place. China apparently sided with Russia in its attitude towards firearms in space. The Chinese media reported that the Shenzhou-6 expedition in 2005 was armed with pistols for self-defense. (2/3)

Spirit Resumes Driving on Mars (Source: JPL)
NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit resumed driving Saturday after engineers gained confidence from diagnostic activities earlier in the week evaluating how well the rover senses its orientation. Spirit drove about 30 centimeters (1 foot) Saturday, during the 1,806th Martian day, or sol, of what was originally planned as a 90-day mission. The rover team had commanded a longer drive, but Spirit stopped short after its right-front wheel, which no longer turns, struck a partially buried rock. Diagnostic tests last week also checked possible explanations for behavior for one period of activity on Spirit's Sol 1800, when the rover did not save information into its non-volatile flash memory, so the information was lost when the rover next powered down. (2/3)

Space Industry Leaders Target Tallahassee for Florida Space Day (Space Day Committee)
Officials representing Florida’s space industry will visit Tallahassee on March 4 to participate in Florida Space Day. Participants will visit with House and Senate members to discuss the state's challenges to retain and expand its role in our nation's space programs. They will highlight industry-wide support for Florida aerospace initiatives and discuss pending legislation with policymakers. (2/3)

NASA and Industry Join Forces for Virginia Aerospace Day (Source: PR Newswire)
NASA leaders from Langley Research Center in Hampton and Wallops Flight Facility on the Eastern Shore join aerospace industry representatives statewide to bring their message to General Assembly members on Aerospace Day 2009, Thursday, Feb. 5, in Richmond. Virginia has more than 350 aerospace companies and employs over 27,000 people, generating a direct economic output of $5.6 billion. NASA facilities in Virginia generate $1.2 billion and over 11,000 jobs. Additionally, NASA revenues translate into approximately $64 million in federal taxes and almost $14 million in state and local taxes. (2/3)

'Frontiers of Propulsion Science' Explores Warp Drives, Gravity Control (Source: Nanowerk)
AIAA has published a new book, Frontiers of Propulsion Science (Progress in Astronautics and Aeronautics), that compiles for the first time the emerging science of such novel propulsion concepts as space drives, warp drives, gravity control, and faster-than-light travel – breakthroughs that would revolutionize spaceflight and enable human voyages to other star systems. While the subject matter may sound like science fiction, authors Marc Millis and Eric Davis point out that a growing number of reputable scientific journals are discussing such topics, although at this point very few research projects have advanced beyond the stage of making initial observations and formulating initial hypotheses.

This emerging science, and the realization that rockets are inadequate for interstellar exploration, led NASA to support the Breakthrough Propulsion Physics Project from 1996 through 2002, to explore such concepts. The new book by Millis and Davis, written for graduate students and engineering professionals, covers that project as well as other related work, giving the reader enough starting material to comprehend each subject area, and decide if and how they might pursue their own research in the subject fields. (2/3)

Satellites Failure Hurting India's Credibility (Source: Financial Express)
A power system failure in the ISRO-EADS built W2M satellite for Paris-based communication satellite operators Eutelsat is an unprecedented problem for ISRO, say senior officials in the Indian space agency. ISRO having enjoyed great success with indigenous satellites was making its first foray into the big business of satellite exports with the W2M project that fetched the agency $33 million in revenue in a contract jointly executed with EADS.

While one major power system glitch has been reported in ISRO built satellite systems in the past -- in the Insat-2D in 1997 -- senior officials in the agency said the problems that are threatening to bring down the W2M "are totally different". "It comes after a series of over 10 successful satellite launches," the official said. (2/3)

Apollo 13 Flight Director Says Space Exploration Can Stoke Economy (Source: Government Technology)
Former NASA Mission Operations Director Gene Kranz told audience members at last week's Government Technology Conference Southwest that the country needs to make space exploration a priority in this struggling economic climate. He hopes President Barack Obama's administration places as much emphasis on the space program as the U.S. has in the past, and said such programs are necessary to keep America competitive. Kranz urged the Obama administration to continue the direction set out by NASA administrator Michael Griffin, whose tenure ended Jan. 20. He said that under Griffin, NASA has had its best leader in two decades. (2/3)