February 6 News Items

Weather Satellite Blasts Off from California Coast (Source: AP)
A rocket carrying a U.S. global weather satellite has blasted off from California's Vandenberg Air Force Base. The NOAA-N Prime satellite was launched aboard a Delta 2 rocket from the central coast base at 2:22 a.m. Friday. The launch had been planned for Wednesday but it was postponed because of launch pad technical problems. NOAA-N Prime is the last in a series of polar-orbiting satellites that have been observing Earth's weather since 1960. Its data will be used for long-range weather and climate forecasts. The satellite also carries sensors that can receive distress signals from mariners and hikers. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration manages the $564 million mission. The satellite was built by Lockheed Martin. (2/6)

Aerospace Industry Could Help Virginia Economy Take Flight (Source: Hampton Roads Daily Press)
Lawmakers looking for sources of revenue for the state might want to use a telescope. This week, leading minds and innovators from Virginia's aerospace community are hoping to show General Assembly members that a little seed money can mean a lot in the burgeoning space industry. "They've shown that a very, very small investment can bring a huge return," said Del. John Cosgrove, R-Chesapeake. The growing industry has strong ties in Hampton Roads, thanks to NASA Langley, Old Dominion University and an Eastern Shore spaceport set to launch cargo to the international space station in the next three years.

Despite grim tax revenue, this year's budget tentatively includes $10 million in bond money for the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport on Wallops Island. Last year, lawmakers earmarked $16 million in bonds to help upgrade roads and bolster the launch pads at the private spaceport. In June, Gov. Kaine doled out $1 million in incentives to Orbital Sciences Corp. to augment $45 million the company would invest at Wallops Flight Facility and create 125 high-paying jobs across the state. "If Virginia hadn't supported (the industry), that $1.9 billion would have gone to Florida for sure," said John Campbell, director of the NASA Wallops Island Flight Facility. (2/6)

Governor Orders Look Into Hiring (Source: Gulf Breeze News)
Gov. Charlie Crist recently ordered an investigation into Pensacola native and former state employee Brice Harris' role in directing $500,000 in grant money to Andrews-Paulos Research and Education Institute of Gulf Breeze to fund an aerospace medical training program. In light of the controversy, Bob Harriman, Administrator of the Andrews Institute, said last Friday that the public should recognize that the Institute is not being investigated for wrongdoing. "We would like to make it clear that the Andrews Institute is not under investigation," Harriman said in a written statement after an inquiry by Gulf Breeze News.

"We have not been contacted by anyone in the Governor's Office, including the inspector general. Our understanding from reading recent news articles is that the inspector general will review Mr. Harris' role and responsibilities while he was employed with the Governor's Office...The Andrews Institute contracted with Mr. Harris only after receiving recommendations for him. Both OTTED and Space Florida highly recommended Mr. Harris as the best candidate for this position (director of defense and aerospace programs at Andrews). From everything I have heard, they did not give us any indication or provide concern that any type of employment would violate ethical issues."

Harriman added that Harris told him and other Andrews Institute administrators that prior to his Harris' resignation, "he proactively conducted a meeting with the Deputy General Counsel, Jerry Curington. During that meeting, Mr. Curington stated that due to the fact that Harris was only a staff member and was not involved in the procurement process and did not substantially participate in the approval of the award, the possibility of his being found in violation of ethics regulations was quite small." (2/6)

Ski Trip to the North Pole May Hold Key to Space Travel (Source: Chicago Tribune)
Someday, when astronauts launch for Mars in a high-tech tin can, they might wish to glance at the blue, ice-capped planet in the rearview mirror and remember those who went before. People like John Huston —- Arctic explorer, hopeful conqueror of the North Pole and guinea pig for researchers studying human psychology in extreme environments. The Chicago resident and his buddy, Tyler Fish of Minnesota, plan to set out next week on a trip designed to make them the first Americans to ski without resupplying from Canada to the North Pole. But what may prove useful to NASA is the study of their mind-sets amid the ordeals of an Arctic journey.

Like astronauts, Huston and Fish will have only the frozen or preprocessed food they take with them—but in their case, towing everything on sleds that will weigh 260 pounds each at the start. They will spend long periods in confined spaces with only their fellow travelers to rely on. Because the Earth's poles—like space—are places of extreme cold where rescue is difficult or impossible, a mistake could mean death. Psychologists are seeking to understand both the stresses and the positive outlooks that make a rare breed of people excel in cold, forbidding realms. Gloria Leon, a University of Minnesota psychology professor emeritus, has been interviewing Huston and Fish and will have them complete questionnaires at the end of each day. (2/6)