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June 16, 2008
Space Policy Issues Facing
a New Administration (Source: Space Review)
The next president will face a number of major issues related to space
policy upon taking office next January. Eligar Sadeh examines those
issues as discussed at a forum earlier this year. Visit http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1146/1 to view the article. (6/9)
Editorial: Presidential Candidates Should Endorse Search for
Knowledge (Source: Naples News)
Question: What do the Phoenix lander on Mars and the
current presidential election campaign have in common? Answer: The
search for knowledge. Neither of the nominees has said much about his
plans for science and technology. Neither candidate has accepted an
invitation from ScienceDebate 2008, a bipartisan group of Nobel
laureates and other scholars, to hold a debate on science policy.
Sen. Barack Obama has, however, indicated that if elected president he
plans to strip some $8 billion of funding from NASA’s exploration
initiative and devote that money to education. While increasing federal
funding for education might be a worthwhile endeavor, the American
taxpayer already spends more than half a trillion dollars on public
education each year. Pouring more money into that pot will do little to
improve our schools. It will take a fundamental change in the
educational system to accomplish that, a change so wrenching that no
politician is willing even to think about it. Obama’s stated objective
of slashing human space exploration is a mistake. (5/15)
House Appropriations
Subcommittee Approves $17.8 Billion for NASA (Source: Space News)
The House Appropriations commerce, justice, science subcommittee
approved a spending bill June 12 that would give NASA nearly $17.8
billion for 2009, about $155 million more than the White House
requested. (6/12)
Bush Administration Responds to NASA Authorization Language
(Source: OMB)
President Bush's Office of Management & Budget (OMB) has issued a
Statement of Administration Policy to suggest changes it believes
should be made to the proposed NASA Authorization Act for 2008. The OMB
document expresses concerns about "problematic policy implications" and
recommends the removal or modification of sections of the bill,
including: "carrying out an additional procurement for Commercial
Orbital Transfer Services (COTS) crew capabilities, and mandating that
NASA purchase commercial services regardless of cost;" and "requiring
the continued operation and utilization of the ISS by the United States
after 2016, without first mitigating significant budget implications in
the outyears". (6/10)
Editorial: A Bad Cut (Source: Houston
Chronicle)
The administration's opposition to reasonable NASA budget requests
threatens a U.S. technological edge. The
White House expressed its "strong" opposition to legislation that would
increase NASA's funding for the next fiscal year and provide additional
funding to cover a crucial five-year gap in space-flight capability
needed to fly U.S. astronauts to the
International Space Station. The unusually combative statement led to
fears that President Bush would veto the bill if changes were not made.
A veto would be a shortsighted, disappointing reaction to a reasonable
measure and would diminish the competitiveness and effectiveness of
this nation's space program at a time when other countries are
accelerating their programs. (6/15)
Union Supports NASA Authorization Bill (Source:
SpaceRef.com)
"The bipartisan recognition that NASA requires significantly greater
funding to succeed in all of its assigned missions sends a powerful
message to the next Administration. We hope that the loud and specific
call for increases in funding for NASA's Science, Aeronautics, and
Technology Development programs, in order to begin the process of
restoring them to full health, will be heeded by Commerce, Justice, and
Science Appropriators. For these reasons and those stated below, IFPTE
recommends passage of H.R. 6063." (6/12)
NASA Modifies Engine
Contract for Workforce Retention (Source: NASA)
NASA has signed a $16.8 million contract modification to space shuttle
main engine manufacturer Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne Inc. of Canoga
Park, Calif., to incorporate an employee retention plan implemented by
the company. Incentives are being provided to eligible personnel to
ensure mission success and construction of the remaining engines to
support space shuttle requirements through September 2010. The contract
will end Sept. 30, 2010. This modification brings
the total value of the contract, awarded in January 2002, to $2.181
billion. (6/12)
Shuttle Retirement Will Hurt Florida's Space Coast (Source: AP)
In the shadow of the Kennedy Space Center, the countdown has begun
in the towns that run on the space program's clock. Communities built
up around Cape Canaveral figure to take a hobbling
hit with the Space Shuttle retirement. There will be no more blastoffs
by Atlantis, Discovery or Endeavour to pack hotels and viewing sites
with tourists. Up to 6,400 of the 8,000 shuttle contractors in the area
will lose their jobs. While Florida prepares for the loss,
some other states could benefit. The Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., where a guidance system
for next-generation rockets will be developed, could gain 400 to 2,800
jobs. Visit http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/nation/20080613-0430-spaceshuttletown.html
to view the article. (6/13)
Orbital Sciences Chooses
Virginia for Taurus 2 Launches (Source: State of
Virginia)
Orbital Sciences Corporation has selected the Mid-Atlantic Regional
Spaceport (MARS), located at Virginia's Wallops Island, as its launch
site for the new Taurus II rocket. Orbital will invest approximately
$45 million in Virginia to assemble, test and
launch the Taurus II rockets. The rocket program will also create
approximately 125 new jobs in the state, which will be based both at
Orbital's Dulles headquarters and at the Wallops Island launch site.
The first mission of the Taurus II rocket is scheduled for late 2010.
It will be the launch vehicle for a joint NASA and Orbital cargo
delivery demonstration mission to the International Space Station
(ISS). If NASA selects Orbital for operational cargo missions to the
ISS later this year, those missions would also originate from MARS,
beginning in 2011.
The Virginia Economic Development Partnership worked with Accomack County, Loudoun County, the Virginia Commercial
Space Flight Authority and the Virginia Public Building Authority to
secure the project for Virginia. Among the latest
incentives was a $1 million performance-based grant from the Virginia
Investment Partnership (VIP) program, an incentive available to
existing Virginia companies. The Virginia
Department of Business Assistance will provide training assistance
through the Virginia Jobs Investment Program. (6/9)
Mikulski: Wallops Could Become Space Station Cargo Hub
(Source: Delaware Online)
Maryland Senator Barbara Mikulski says the decision by Orbital Sciences
to base a rocket program at Wallops Island means the lower Eastern
Shore site could eventually become a cargo hub for the International
Space Station. Mikulski says Wallops is already a major employer for Eastern Shore residents with about 35
percent of its NASA employees living in Maryland. The Baltimore Democrat
says if the new rocket program is successful, more jobs and economic
development could be coming to the lower Eastern Shore. (6/10)
Can Wallops/MARS Compete
for COTS-D?
(Source: Spaceports Blog)
NASA is said to be in the final stages of vetting a review on the
feasibility of accelerating the crew transport portion of its COTS
program. NASA is funding SpaceX and Orbital Sciences Corp. to develop
cargo-focused COTS capabilities. Only SpaceX has been actively working
on a COTS D concept, with Orbital focused exclusively on cargo at this
point.
To launch human missions from the Wallops spaceport will require
modifications to the FAA-AST permit and NASA environmental impact
studies as well. Virginia lawmakers are being asked to urge NASA to
review Wallops Island human-rated launch requirement studies now as
other federal lawmakers are seeking to advance the acceleration of COTS
D to reduce the expected gap in U.S. human spaceflight capability
between the space shuttle’s 2010 retirement and the debut of the Orion
in 2015. (6/10)
Editorial: Florida Must Figure Out Why it
Lost Out to Virginia (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
Florida failed in its mission to
persuade a company that will supply the International Space Station to
launch from Cape Canaveral. Now, officials need to
figure out what went wrong and fix it. Clearly, the state's legacy of
launches won't guarantee that it remains the nation's spaceport.
The company, Orbital Sciences Corp., had said in February that it was
leaning toward launching from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility on Virginia's Eastern Shore. But federal, state and
local leaders in Florida kept courting it. Their
failure means the Space Coast will miss out on an
operation with a $250 million economic impact. With the Space Coast expected to lose 6,400
good jobs after shuttles are grounded in 2010, Florida can't afford to miss any
more opportunities like this one. (6/12)
Florida Governor Signs Budget, Including Space Items
(Source: ERAU)
Governor Crist signed the 2008-09 budget, including new investments in Florida’s Space industry. $14.5
million is included for launch infrastructure at the Cape Canaveral
Spaceport; $1.25 million for space industry workforce retention and
training; and $500,000 for a Florida Sub-Orbital Commercial Research
& Training Center at the Florida Institute of Technology. (6/11)
New Mexico Spaceport Ballot Issue Fills Room (Source:
Alamogordo Daily News)
The room was filled to the brim Thursday as both those in support and
opposed to the Spaceport gross receipts tax anxiously waited their
turns to speak before the Otero County Commission. But the issue, as
explained by Otero County Commission Chair Doug Moore, is not a
decision to pass the resolution and ordinance adopting the GRT itself,
but merely the placing of it on the November ballot for voters to
decide for themselves.
"We had three tax increases in one year," said Thomas McKean, one of
the trustees for the village of Tularosa. "Why does our GRT have
to support this? I highly recommend we do not pass this. I see no
advantage at all." Visit http://www.alamogordonews.com/news/ci_9570943
to view the article. (6/13)
Editorial: Don't Complicate New Mexico Spaceport Tax Plan (Source: Las Cruces
Sun-News)
Supporters of the spaceport were pleased when voters in Sierra County agreed to a local tax to
help fund the project. Those same supporters were disappointed Thursday
when a deadline passed and Sierra and Doña Ana counties had not
completed a contract for the creation of a spaceport tax district. This
means — barring a miracle — there will be a six-month delay in the
implementation of the sales tax. Doña Ana County commissioners were
scheduled to consider a spaceport district contract May 28, but it was
pulled from the agenda because negotiations were not complete.
We can understand each side's concerns. Sierra may fear insufficient
board representation due to its much smaller population. But they —
rightly — believe they should have fair representation since the
spaceport would reside in their county. Doña Ana feels it should have
fair representation because its citizens will be putting up — by far —
the bulk of the money. The Spaceport Authority wants statewide
representation because it is a huge project, it does belong to the
state of New Mexico, and it will be receiving
significant state money.
And don't forget Otero County, whose citizens are
expected to vote on the issue in November. Should it pass there, that
would add a third entity to the tax district. Here's one way to speed
the plow. Simplify life. Make the tax district a seven-person board.
Two members are from Doña Ana, chosen by county commissioners. Two are
from Sierra, chosen by county commissioners. The other three persons
are at-large positions from anywhere in the state (not excluding Sierra
and Doña Ana), chosen by the Spaceport Authority. If Otero passes the
tax, one of the three at-large position comes from there, chosen by
county commissioners. (6/9)
Editorial: What the New Mexico Spaceport Doesn't Mean (Source: Alamagordo Daily
News)
Here's why I will not cast my tiny vote for the tax on Otero County for the Las Cruces
Spaceport: It is not a good investment for us on this side of the San Andres Mountains. Spaceport director Steve
Landeene says it will create 2,500 jobs generating more than $1 billion
in economic growth. I do not feel one-third of those jobs will come to
Otero. Maybe not even one will, unless it's a local who is lucky enough
to land a spaceport job and is willing to drive over the St. Augustin
Pass then 50 miles north of Las Cruces on a four-hour daily
trek, rather than move nearer the spaceport.
Doña Ana and Sierra counties will be the main beneficiaries. El Paso, with a great airport, Las Cruces with proximity, handy
housing, shopping, et al., and those towns along the Interstate-25
corridor will all benefit, directly. I'll vote for the spaceport if our
local leaders can negotiate that Otero will receive a guaranteed
respectable number of jobs as direct or residual consequences of the
Las Cruces Spaceport as some media call it despite the great "Spaceport
America" moniker. (6/15)
New Mexico’s Spaceport America is Only the Beginning (Source: Naples News)
They’re building a spaceport in New Mexico. Other states, including
Florida, are working to build spaceports, but New Mexico has something
that none of the others has: a multimillionaire tenant who is
determined to make a profitable commercial business out of launching
tourists into space. As Tevya says in "Fiddler on the Roof," "Sounds
crazy, no?" The correct answer is no. Visit http://www.naplesnews.com/news/2008/jun/08/ben-bova-spaceport-america-only-beginning/ to view the article. (6/9)
California Selected as Partner State for CeBIT 2009 (Source: CSA)
CeBIT, the world’s leading
trade fair for digital business solutions and information and
communications technology (ICT), has announced that the State of
California has been selected the Partner State for next year’s event,
which will run 3–8 March 2009 at the Hannover Fairgrounds in Hannover,
Germany. The invitation to participate as partner was issued by CeBIT
organizer Deutsche Messe AG and BITKOM, and accepted by California
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. California’s selection marks the
first time that a state, not a country, will serve as partner at CeBIT.
(6/13)
Discovery Glides Home to
Kennedy Space Center (Source: NASA)
The Space Shuttle Discovery undocked from the International Space
Station Wednesday morning, ending a nine-day stay. Discovery and its
crew landed at 11:15 a.m. EDT Saturday, at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Fla., completing a 14-day
journey of more than 5.7 million miles in space. (6/14)
Unidentified Object No Cause for Concern to Shuttle
(Source: AFP)
An object seen floating behind the space shuttle Discovery was likely a
thermal clip whose loss would "not cause any concern" for the shuttle's
landing Saturday, according to NASA officials. "You don't need it for
entry and landing and there are three of them," William Jeffs,
spokesman at Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, told AFP. Astronauts had
earlier reported seeing a bump on the shuttle's rudder but NASA said it
was a normal protusion and no cause for concern. (6/13)
Voids Found in Shuttle Flame Trench Wall (Source: Florida
Today)
More hidden weak spots have been found by tap-testing the flame
trench's concrete walls near places where the pad 39A mound structure
was ripped open during the last shuttle launch. NASA suspects the cause
is erosion. An investigation team is expected to present a repairs plan
at a June 19 meeting. NASA plans a methodical and complete approach,
but doesn't expect the fix to delay the next shuttle launch in October.
The shuttle's 6 million pounds of thrust blasted fire bricks and rubble
beyond and through a perimeter fence at 1,800 feet. The cleanup has
been slowed by the presence of rope-like asbestos bits that were used
as filler between bricks. (6/10)
Phoenix Lander Has An Oven Full
Of Martian Soil (Source: SpaceDaily.com)
NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander has filled its first oven with Martian soil.
Phoenix has eight separate tiny
ovens to bake and sniff the soil to assess its ingredients, such as
water. (6/11)
Making Sense of Mars Methane (Source: Astrobiology
Magazine)
Research on methane at a Mexican salt flat could help reveal the source
of methane that has been detected in the atmosphere of Mars. But first
scientists have to decipher the unique – and seemingly contradictory -
isotopic signature of the Mexican methane. Commercial salt ponds near
the Mexican town of Guerrero Negro, which lies about midway
down the Baja California peninsula, produce
methane gas that may help scientists understand the origin of methane
in Mars’s atmosphere. Click here to view the article. (6/9)
Expert: Water on Mars Not Likely to Sustain Life (Source:
NewsDay)
As the Phoenix lander continues its mission on Mars, drilling into the
terrain in hopes of hitting ice, a Long Island space scientist says
he's convinced water once trickled on the Red Planet. But Scott
McLennan, a Stony Brook University geochemist, says the
Martian water he and his colleagues have identified is a briny liquid
so salty that it probably never sustained life as we know it. "Our work
is based on the Mars Rover Mission, and also on materials we got from
rocks and meteorites that came from Mars," said McLennan, who referred
to the spacecraft Opportunity, which landed on the Red
Planet along with its twin probe, Spirit, in 2004. (6/9)
NASA Awards Contract for Constellation Spacesuit (Source:
NASA)
NASA has awarded a contract to Oceaneering International Inc. of Houston, for the design,
development and production of a new spacesuit system. The spacesuit
will protect astronauts during Constellation Program voyages to the
International Space Station and, by 2020, the surface of the moon.
Subcontractors include Harris Corp. of Florida, Air-Lock Inc. of Milford, Conn., David Clark Co. of
Worcester, Mass., Cimarron Software
Services Inc. of Houston, Honeywell International Inc. of Glendale, Ariz., Paragon Space
Development Corp. of Tucson, Ariz., and United Space
Alliance of Houston. (6/12)
NASA Awards Constellation Technical Support Contract to Booz
Allen (Source: NASA)
NASA has awarded Booz Allen Hamilton Inc. a contract for technical
support services for the Constellation Program. The five-year contract
has a base two-year value of $17.6 million, with a total potential
value of $49.5 million if three one-year extension options are
exercised. Booz Allen Hamilton Inc. will provide the resources to
conduct tasks in support of the Constellation Program systems
engineering and integration, and test and evaluation. Tasks include the
definition, analysis, assessment, engineering study and documentation
of operations concepts, technical and programmatic requirements and
processes, and system implementations in support of NASA-led
activities. (6/13)
L-3 to Support NASA
Astronaut Training (Source: SpaceRef.com)
L-3 Communications was awarded a five-year $49 million contract by NASA
to provide space systems domain expertise to enhance space training for
NASA engineers and astronauts. Under this new contract, known as
Simulation and Software Technology (SST), L-3 Enterprise will focus on
robotics; dynamics; guidance, navigation, and control; avionics;
electrical power systems; and ground systems technologies. (6/10)
How Long Can You Survive in the Vacuum of Space? (Source:
Reddit)
No spaceship. No space suit. Just you versus the cold, empty vacuum of
space. Find out about how long you could survive by taking the online
test at http://www.oneplusyou.com/q/v/space_vacuum. (6/12)
Embry-Riddle Scientist Explores Link Between Spaceflight and
Fatigue (Source: ERAU)
An Embry-Riddle Human Factors professor, with the help of volunteer
test subjects aboard three Zero-G flights on Jun 14-15, is exploring
whether the "vestibular disorientation" experienced by many people
during weightlessness can cause acute fatigue that could hinder the
success of government and commercial space missions.
The research is made possible through a 2007 agreement between
Embry-Riddle and Zero Gravity Corp. aimed at using G-Force One as a
microgravity science platform under a partnership with the state of Florida. The project was
supported by the SpaceTEC National Center of Excellence for aerospace
technical education, with sponsorship by the Brevard Workforce
Development Board and Workforce Florida Inc. (6/12)
Scientists to Set Lunar Health Standards (Source:
Space.com)
The alien and perilous dust on the moon has prompted scientists to
ponder lunar health standards that would be set before astronauts go
there again. A diverse team that includes flight surgeons, industry air
quality experts, toxicologists, lunar geologists, and even an astronaut
is examining how harmful lunar dust could be to humans.
Members of the Lunar Airborne Dust Toxicity Advisory Group (LADTAG)
have some concerns about the toxicity of the chemically reactive lunar
dust grains, which also contain nano-particles of natural metal and
glass shards formed from a combination of chemical reactions, meteorite
impacts and solar wind bombardment. LADTAG will help NASA set health
standards for astronaut exposure to the dust — a necessary step for
designing the spacecraft, rovers, and habitats that will return humans
to the moon. (6/10)
Premier Inn Plans First Hotel on the Moon (Source: Travel
Daily News)
Premier Inn, the UK’s largest and fastest growing hotel brand, unveiled
its plans for its most ambitious hotel development ever: the first ever
hotel on the moon. A 43,500 square feet site has been purchased and
designers and engineers have been working on the blueprints and design
for the first lunar hotel that Premier Inn estimates could be
constructed and opened within 25 years. Visit http://www.traveldailynews.com/pages/show_page/26085 to view the article.
(6/11)
Space Race II and Protecting Lunar Artifacts (Source:
Smithsonian)
The second race to the moon has begun—and this time there will be a big
cash payout for the winner. Four decades after Neil Armstrong took his
giant leap for mankind, the Google-sponsored Lunar X Prize is offering
$20 million to any private team that puts a robotic rover on the moon,
plus $5 million in bonus prizes for completing such tasks as
photographing one of the numerous man-made artifacts that remain
there—for instance, the Apollo 11 lunar module descent stage that
Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin left behind in 1969.
But dispatching robots to snoop around the moon also poses a risk to
some of the most precious archaeological sites of all time. What if a
rover reached Tranquility Base, where Armstrong landed, and drove over
footprints, which are still intact and represent humanity's first
expedition to a celestial body? One university researcher advocates
keeping all six Apollo sites off-limits until technology enables
space-faring archaeologists to hover above them, Jetsons-like. "We only
have one shot at protecting this," he insists. "If we screw it up, it's
gone for good. We can't undo it."
Crafting an agreement that bars exploration of lunar sites in the
coming age of space tourism may be difficult. Nations retain ownership
of spacecraft and artifacts they leave on the moon, though it (and the
planets) are common property, according to international treaties. In
practical terms, that means no nation has jurisdiction over the lunar
soil, upon which artifacts and precious footprints rest. "It would be
our strong preference that those items remain undisturbed unless and
until NASA establishes a policy for their disposition," says Allan
Needell, curator of the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum's Apollo collection. The
"preservation of the historical integrity of the objects and the
landing sites" would be a primary goal, he adds. (6/12)
Google Co-Founder Books Private Space Mission with Russia (Source: New York Times)
Sergey Brin, a co-founder of Google, has made a $5 million investment
in Space Adventures that will serve as a deposit on a future flight. “I
am a big believer in the exploration and commercial development of the
space frontier, and am looking forward to the possibility of going into
space,” Brin said. It is anticipated that Brin's flight will be a
dedicated commercial mission, instead of a ride-along opportunity
aboard a Space Station servicing flight. For the private Soyuz mission,
Space Adventures will book two seats on the three-seat spacecraft, with
a Russian commander taking the other seat. The mission will be
scheduled so as not to interfere with the official flights of
astronauts to and from the station, the company said.
Space Adventures has seats reserved for flights to the space station
this October and April 2009. Clients have paid $20 million to $40
million for their trips. The company did not disclose what the private
flight will cost. “From a passenger point of view, you wouldn’t be a
fifth wheel on the flight to the space station,” astronaut Tom Jones
said. “It’s a move toward a more mature commercial space travel
industry.” Eric Anderson, the chief executive of Space Adventures, said
that the deal meant “we become a space mission company, not simply a
seller of seats.” Future missions could take travelers to other
destinations like privately run space stations, he said.
The move to a purchased mission is “a different paradigm,” said Dr.
John Logsdon, the director of the space policy institute at George Washington University, and could help NASA
determine what it ought to be paying for its own passage to the station
aboard the Soyuz craft. (6/11)
Russia May Leave Space Travel Market in 2009 (Source:
Russia IC)
According to Head of the Russian Space Agency Anatoly Perminov, next
year Russia may leave the market of space tourism travel, if members of
the ISS program decide to increase the crew size up to six people. At
the present moment the crew team consists of 3 people. Earlier it was
reported that members of the ISS program planned to increase the crew
size up to six people. Taking into account that in 2009 the American
shuttles halt flights, the Russian Soyuz spacecraft will turn into the
main means for carrying tourists to space. Russia will have to halt flights
of space tourists. (6/9)
Russia Could Learn From U.S. Space Program (Source: RIA Novosti)
This summer will prove crucial for the Russian space program. First of
all, the U.S. Congress will decide whether to buy Soyuz spacecraft for
flying crews to the International Space Station (ISS). In early June,
NASA and Russian Space Agency (Roscosmos) delegations negotiated in the
United States. However, the U.S. decision will be far more
important for Moscow than for the Americans.
It would be an exaggeration to say that top NASA managers are seriously
worried about this. In August 2006, President George W. Bush said
interplanetary missions were becoming the main aspect of the U.S. space program. Washington, which has already spent
$100 billion on the ISS project, continues to support it only through
sheer inertia. Visit http://en.rian.ru/analysis/20080609/109608014.html to view the article. (6/9)
EU Space Governance Overhaul Urged (Source: Aerospace
Daily)
A dedicated space budget line and a separate space directorate are
among a growing chorus of recommendations aimed at changing the way the
European Union (EU) manages its space activities. Currently, space
projects are stewarded by several directorates within the EU's
executive arm, the European Commission (EC), and there is no official
arrangement for coordinating them. This setup helped lead to a meltdown
in the system created to manage the Galileo satellite navigation
system, and a similar breakdown is feared for the Global Monitoring for
Environment and Security (GMES) system.
The situation is further complicated by the fact that the European
Space Agency (ESA), which has been tasked with developing and procuring
Galileo and GMES on the EC's behalf, has rules for procurement and
industrial policy that differ from those at the EC, notably with
respect to fair return and competition. In revamping the Galileo
management setup at the end of last year, the Commission mandated that
ESA change its policy to suit EC practice. (6/13)
Contractors Urge ESA to
Pursue Ariane 5 Upgrades (Source: Space News)
The principal contractors of Europe's Ariane 5 heavy-lift launcher have
begun a campaign to persuade European governments to finance the
completion of a more powerful upper stage for the rocket and also pay
for an upgrade that would add additional payload capacity to the new
Vega small satellite launcher. The campaign, which was not unexpected,
is intended to win sufficient backing for the new developments in France, Italy and Germany, leading to full program
approval when European Space Agency (ESA) government ministers meet in
November. (6/15)
Ariane 5 Launches with Turksat 3A and Skynet 5C from Kourou
Spaceport (Source: NasaSpaceFlight.com)
Arianespace is back on track with the dual payload launch of their
Ariane 5 ECA, carrying Turksat 3A and the British Military satellite,
Skynet 5C. The launch from French Guiana is the 183rd to be
carried out by an Ariane launch vehicle, and the 39th Ariane 5 launch
in total. (6/12)
India Looking to Develop
Anti-Satellite Missile? (Source:
Although India is committed to peaceful use of outer space, but in
addition to setting up space monitoring agency, India is exploring
options of developing anti-satellite missile as a ’strategic
deterrence’. In this effect the chairman of Indian Space Research
Organisation (ISRO) talked about a possible collaboration with
Department of Defense Research & Development (DRDO). Visit http://www.merinews.com/catFull.jsp?articleID=135676
to view the article. (6/13)
India: Rocket Fuel as Cheap as
a Bottle of Water (Source: NewIndPress)
A litre of rocket fuel that costs less than a bottle of bottled
drinking water! India has begun research
activities to make this a reality with a view to bringing down launch
expenses. Scientists at ISRO’s Liquid Propulsion Systems Center have
entered the second stage of a research program to gift the country with
a semi-cryogenic fuel known as loxkerosene at a cost of less than Rs
15/kg.
The solid fuel that powers rockets costs about Rs 1500/kg. Lox-kerosene
consists of refined kerosene and liquid oxygen. “The kerosene will cost
about Rs 18/litre and liquid oxygen Rs 6/litre. A litre of lox-kerosene
will cost only about Rs 12 to 15/litre,” sources said. (6/13)
India Moon Mission Launch in September (Source: Times of India)
The wait for Mission Moon just got a little longer. A crucial meeting
of the senior scientists at ISRO's Satellite Center has decided that the moon
mission could blast off in September. Weather conditions will also
determine the precise launch date. A 32-meter diameter antenna at
Byalalu is being tested to receive signals from deep space. As India does not have deep space
satellites, it has sought services of such satellites from a third
country. (6/9)
China Manned Space Flight Set
for October
(Source: SpaceDaily.com)
The launch of China's third manned space
flight, the Shenzhou VII, with a crew of three "taikonauts" has been
set for October. A short-list of six "taikonauts" or astronauts had
already been selected for the flight and would be whittled down to a
crew of three before the October launch. "One member of the flight crew
will undergo a space walk and undertake relevant scientific
experiments," a spokesman said. Check out the animation at
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GezziNS8eC8 (6/12)
China Launches French-Built Satellite (Source: Hitech News)
China launched a new
communications satellite, Zhongxing-9, from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in the southwestern Sichuan Province at 8:15
p.m.
(Beijing Time) Monday. The satellite was shot into space aboard the
Long March-3B rocket carrier. It was the 107th launch mission for the
Long March series of carrier rockets. Zhongxing-9, a satellite ordered
by China Satcom from the France-based Thales Alenia Space, would be
used for live television broadcast and put into use before the Beijing
Olympic Games in August. (6/9)
JASON 2 Satellite Ready for June 20 Launch from California
(Source: NASA)
The launch of the Ocean Surface Topography Mission, or OSTM/Jason 2,
aboard a Delta II rocket is scheduled for June 20, from Vandenberg Air
Force Base in California. The launch window extends from 12:46
a.m.
to 12:55 a.m. PDT. The mission is an
international collaboration between NASA, the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the French space agency Centre
National d'Etudes Spatiales (CNES), and the European Organization for
the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT). (6/11)
SpaceX to Fly Celestis Memorial Payload on Falcon 1 on June 23
(Source: Celestis)
Launch of the next Celestis memorial payload (carrying cremated remains
of 208 participants) is projected to occur at 7:00 pm EDT on June 23
aboard a SpaceX Falcon 1 launch vehicle from Kwajalein atoll in the
Marshall Islands. Visit
http://www.memorialspaceflights.com/explorers.asp for information.
(6/10)
Delta-2 Launches GLAST (Source: Florida Today)
NASA's Gamma-ray Large Area Telescope (GLAST) is now circling Earth in
its intended orbit 301 miles above the planet after a successful launch
aboard a United Launch Alliance Delta 2 rocket. The 13-story Delta 2
Heavy blasted off from the Cape Canaveral Spaceport at 12:05
p.m.
-- 20 minutes later than planned because of some minor trouble at an Atlantic Ocean tracking station. (6/11)
GLAST Gamma-Ray Telescope Built by University of California
Physicists (Source: UCSC)
NASA s new Gamma-ray Large Area Space Telescope will gather data about
black holes, dark matter and gamma-ray bursts. UCSC physicist Robert
Johnson and adjunct professor of physics Bill Atwood led the UCSC team
that helped develop the telescope. The product of more than 14 years of
hard work by a UC Santa Cruz-led team lifted off from Cape Canaveral in the form of NASA's new
Gamma-ray Large Area Space Telescope, which, scientists hope, will help
to gather data about some of the little-known sources of gamma-rays,
like black holes and dark matter. (6/10)
Hints of Structure Beyond the Visible Universe (Source:
New Scientist)
Colossal structures larger than the visible universe – forged during
the period of cosmic inflation nearly 14 billion years ago – may be
responsible for a strange pattern seen in the big bang's afterglow,
says a team of cosmologists. If confirmed, the structures could provide
precious information about the universe's earliest moments.
In the first instant after its birth, the universe is thought to have
experienced a rapid growth spurt called inflation. During this period,
space itself expanded faster than the speed of light. Inflation solves
some cosmological puzzles, such as why relic radiation from the big
bang, released when the universe was less than 400,000 years old, is
relatively uniform. Visit http://space.newscientist.com/article/dn14098-hints-of-structure-beyond-the-visible-universe.html to view the article.
(6/10)
Sun Goes Longer Than Normal Without Producing Sunspots
(Source: SpaceDaily.com)
The sun has been laying low for the past couple of years, producing no
sunspots and giving a break to satellites. That's good news for people
who scramble when space weather interferes with their technology, but
it became a point of discussion for the scientists who attended an
international solar conference at Montana State University. (6/10)
Accidental Astrophysicists (Source: Science News)
Dmitry Khavinson and Genevra Neumann didn’t know anything about
astrophysics. They were just doing mathematics, like they always do,
following their curiosity. In 2004, they posted a new result, an
extension of the fundamental theorem of algebra, on MathSciNet, a
preprint server. Five days later, they received an e-mail.
Congratulations, it said. You just proved Sun Hong Rhie’s conjecture on
gravitational lensing.
Gravitational what? Khavinson, of the University of South Florida in Tampa, and Neumann, of the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls, had never heard of it.
When we peer at stars in the distant reaches of the universe, they
learned, we can’t simply believe our eyes. Light can play tricks as it
travels across such distances. For example, if a star or other massive
object lies near the path between the distant star and us, its gravity
will bend the light rays. Visit http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/33082/title/Accidental_astrophysicists
to view the article. (5/13)
Space Telescope to Aid Ohio State University Quest for Signs
of Dark Matter (Source: Columbus Dispatch)
Scientists say a new space telescope will unveil secrets of stars so
dense that a teaspoonful weighs a billion tons, of unseen matter that
holds galaxies together and black holes that gobble neighboring stars.
The list of possible discoveries is so long that scientists have dubbed
the Gamma-Ray Large Area Space Telescope (GLAST) “a discovery machine.”
Until now, astronomers and particle physicists could only theorize how
gamma rays, which are thousands to billions times more energetic than
visible light, are connected to a wide variety of heavenly bodies. As
part of the GLAST mission, Ohio State and the University of California, Santa Cruz, will search for the
fingerprints of “ dark matter” in the Milky Way. The Milky Way and
other galaxies spin too fast for gravity alone to hold them together,
so unseen matter, called dark matter, must be there. (6/11)
Northrop Grumman Teams with NASA, Universities on
Hyperspectral Imager (Source: Northrop Grumman)
Northrop Grumman, NASA's Ames Research Center and several university
science partners recently completed a flyover of the Santa Margarita
Ecological Reserve (SMER), collecting valuable test data that will
enable scientists to obtain a close-up view of environmental changes
and support critical decision-making efforts. Along with an instrument
supplied by NASA's Ames Research Center, HATI was integrated onto
a Piper Navajo aircraft to fly over the 4,344-acre SMER, a research
field station of San Diego State University (SDSU). (6/10)
Pluto's Namesakes: Similar Bodies are 'Plutoids' (Source:
NASA Watch)
The International Astronomical Union's decision to categorize
Pluto-like objects "Plutoids" (and not "planets") was not enough to
satisfy leading Pluto-as-a-planet advocate Alan Stern, a former NASA
space sciences chief and principal investigator on a mission to Pluto.
Stern said a rival group could be formed to the IAU, which he said was
too secretive in its decision-making. "It's just some people in a
smoke-filled room who dreamed it up," Stern said. "Plutoids or
hemorrhoids, whatever they call it. This is irrelevant." (6/12)
University of Florida Scientist Seeks
Flying Saucer Design Patent (Source: Florida Today)
A UF scientist has submitted a patent application for a flying saucer.
Subrata Roy has submitted a patent application for a circular, spinning
aircraft design reminiscent of the spaceships seen in countless Hollywood films. The proposed
prototype is small -- the aircraft will measure less than six inches
across -- and will be efficient enough to be powered by on-board
batteries.
Roy calls his design a
"wingless electromagnetic air vehicle," or WEAV. Roy said the design can be
scaled up and theoretically should work in a much larger form. The
vehicle will be powered by a phenomenon called magnetohydrodynamics, or
the force created when a current or a magnetic field is passed through
a conducting fluid. In the case of Roy's aircraft, the
conducting fluid will be created by electrodes that cover each of the
vehicle's surfaces and ionize the surrounding air into plasma.
The force created by passing an electrical current through this plasma
pushes around the surrounding air, and that swirling air creates lift
and momentum and provides stability against wind gusts. In order to
maximize the area of contact between air and vehicle, Roy's design is partially
hollow and continuously curved. (6/11)
Embry-Riddle Students to Conduct Fuel-Slosh Experiment on NASA
Aircraft (Source: ERAU)
NASA has selected a student team from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical
University to fly an experiment of their own design in the annual
Reduced Gravity Student Flight Opportunities Program (RGSFOP). The
team’s experiment, titled Project FuSSION (Fuel Slosh Simulation of
Induced Oscillatory Nutation), investigates the prediction of liquid
behavior in fuel tanks that can cause destabilization of spinning
spacecraft. Over the course of six months, the team members have been
developing and testing their experiment in preparation for their
flights on NASA’s modified C-9 aircraft. During the program, which runs
July 10-19, the team will be based at Ellington Field near Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center in Houston.
The fuel-slosh experiment is a continuation of a previous Embry-Riddle
project that flew in the NASA program in 2006, NESST (Nutation
Experiment Slosh Simulation Test). NESST team leader James Ristow, who
is now a NASA engineer, remarked, “It’s good that this topic is being
revisited. There’s much more that can be investigated.” In fulfillment
of the educational outreach requirement of the NASA program, the team
is partnering with Embry-Riddle’s TeachSpace program and with the
Museum of Arts & Sciences in Daytona Beach to give presentations to
local students of all ages to inspire them to pursue careers in science
and technology. (6/10)
University Faculty and Students to "RockOn!" with NASA
(Source: NASA)
University faculty and students from across the country will RockOn!
with NASA during a workshop June 22 - 27 at NASA's Wallops Flight
Facility on Wallops Island in Virginia. During RockOn!, they
will learn the basics of building experiments for flight on suborbital
rockets. RockOn! teams will build the experiments from kits developed
by students from the Colorado Space Grant Consortium and learn about
the steps and procedures for creating payloads for flight. (6/12)
Space Solar Power - Knights in Shining Armor (Source:
Space Review)
Interest in space solar power has grown in the last year, in large part
because of a study of the concept performed by a Defense Department
office. Dwayne Day argues, however, that this enthusiasm is largely
misplaced, given the lack of clout possessed by this office as well as
the significant technical challenges space solar power still faces.
Visit http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1147/1 to view the article. (6/9)
Satellites and Human Rights (Source: New York Times)
It’s pretty clear that technology can potentially smooth the path
toward 9 billion people (more or less) seeking a decent life. The most
familiar applications are in realms like energy (cheaper solar cells),
transportation (Masdar’s smart people movers) and health (water filters
or quick tuberculosis tests). But there is growing evidence that
another field, human rights, can be aided by gadgets — in this case
eyes in the sky.
The latest evidence comes from the Ogaden region in eastern Ethiopia,
where there have been hundreds of eyewitness accounts of village
burnings, rape and other actions by the army, but little corroborating
information because the government will not let outside observers move
around. Jeffrey Gettleman’s gripping coverage of rebel fighters last
year provides a useful introduction to the issues. Visit http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/06/12/satellites-and-human-rights/index.html?ref=science to view the article (6/12)
Satellites Confirm Ethiopia Destruction, Group Says
(Source: Reuters)
Satellite images confirm reports that the Ethiopian military has burned
towns and villages in the remote Ogaden region of eastern Ethiopia, the
American Association for the Advancement of Science reported. Eight
sites in the rocky, arid region, which borders Somalia, have clear signs of
burning and other destruction, which can be corroborated with
commercially available images. "The Ethiopian authorities frequently
dismiss human rights reports, saying that the witnesses we interviewed
are liars and rebel supporters," said a Human Rights Watch official.
"But it will be much more difficult for them to dismiss the evidence
presented in the satellite images, as images like that don't lie," he
said. (6/12)
Lockheed Martin Completes
Milestone on EHF Satellite (Source: CSA)
Lockheed Martin has
successfully mated the spacecraft core structure and the payload module
for the second Advanced Extremely High Frequency (AEHF) military
communications satellite. The U.S. Air Force's AEHF system will provide
global, highly secure, protected, survivable communications for all
warfighters serving under the U.S. Department of Defense. (6/13)
Commercial Satellite Industry Revenues Jump 16 Percent In 2007
(Source: SpaceDaily.com)
The Satellite Industry Association (SIA) has released its 2008 State of
the Satellite Industry Report, showing a 16 percent growth in global
revenues for the commercial satellite industry. Worldwide revenues in
2007 were $123 billion, representing an average annual growth of 11.5
percent for the period from 2002-2007.
Satellite services revenues grew more than 18 percent, with satellite
television contributing nearly three-quarters of the $73.9 billion in
2007 satellite services revenues. Launch services revenue grew to $3.2
billion in 2007, increasing nearly 19 percent from 2006. Strong sales
in consumer hardware resulted in a 19 percent rise in ground equipment
revenues over the previous year, posting 2007 revenues of $34.3
billion. More satellites were launched in 2007 than in 2006, but
satellite manufacturing revenues dipped slightly from $11.6 billion,
reflecting a higher number of microsatellites launched. (6/11)
Trial in ICO Lawsuit Against Boeing Set to Begin (Source:
Space News)
Mobile satellite services provider ICO Global Communications and its
former contractor, Boeing, are scheduled to begin a long-awaited trial
June 16 to determine who is responsible for the fact that, 13 years
after signing a $2.3 billion contract to build and launch a
12-satellite constellation, 10 of the still-incomplete satellites are
in storage in California, and only one is operational in medium Earth
orbit. (6/15)
FCC Still Hopes To Make XM-Sirius Ruling by July (Source:
Space News)
The U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) may still meet its
goal of ruling before June 30 on the proposed merger of XM Satellite
Radio and Sirius Satellite Radio, FCC Chairman Kevin Martin said.(6/15)
Spacehab Subsidiary Secures Spacecraft Processing Work
(Source: Spacehab)
Spacehab's Astrotech subsidiary has won a fourth, fully-funded task
order under the $35 million Vandenberg Air Force Base (VAFB) indefinite
delivery, indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contract. The Company will provide
facilities and payload processing services from its VAFB location in
support of NASA’s Widefield Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) Mission scheduled to launch in
late 2009. (6/11)
Spacehab Announces Stock Purchase Agreement (Source:
Spacehab)
Spacehab has entered into a Securities Purchase Agreement for the
purchase of 1,329,786 shares of the Company’s common stock for an
aggregate purchase price of $625,000. The Company will use the proceeds
for general corporate purposes. The Company anticipates that the
transaction will close by June 13,
2008.
(6/9)
Orbital Closes Sale Of Transportation
Management Systems Unit (Source: SpaceDaily.com)
Orbital Sciences has completed the sale of its non-core Transportation
Management Systems (TMS) unit to Affiliated Computer Systems (ACS) for
$43 million. TMS is a leading integrator of software-based systems that
combine satellite navigation and wireless communications to enable
municipal transit and other fleet operators to better manage and
dispatch public transit and highway service vehicles and commuter light
rail systems. (6/10)
Alliant Techsystems to Combine Units (Source: St. Paul
Business Journal)
Alliant Techsystems Inc. will combine its launch systems and space
systems groups into a single business unit. The newly combined unit -
Alliant Space Systems - will operate more efficiently and bring a
broader customer base to its technology portfolio, according to a
company statement. The company said that the new unit will be the
world's largest solid rocket launch systems provider, with
approximately 6,600 employees in 10 states. It expects that revenues
for the group for 2009 will be greater than $1.6 billion. (6/10)
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