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June 23, 2008
Defying Bush, House
Approves More for NASA (Source: Houston
Chronicle)
The House of Representatives defied the White House on Wednesday by
overwhelmingly approving a $20.2 billion budget for NASA — $2.9 billion
more than sought by President Bush. With Houston-area lawmakers leading
the way, House members crossed party lines to send a strong message to
the White House by approving the measure on a vote of 409 to 15 — far
exceeding the two-thirds majority that would be needed to override a
possible presidential veto. A total of 181 Republicans joined 228
Democrats to approve the measure. Fifteen Republicans voted no.
The White House did not respond to Wednesday's vote. Instead, a
spokesman referred questioners to an administration statement last week
that it "strongly opposed" the funding plan because it was
"inconsistent with the administration's fiscal policies." That argument
was not persuasive on Capitol Hill. Rep. Kevin Brady, R-The Woodlands,
said today was "no time to be shortchanging the space program" of
needed funds. House members worked across party lines to "ensure that
NASA continues to be the world's premier space agency," said Rep. Gene
Green, D-Houston. "The price we pay to fund NASA is a bargain." The
plan now goes to the Senate. A committee hearing on the matter is
scheduled for next Tuesday. (6/19)
House Passes NASA Authorization Bill (Source:
SpaceToday.net)
The House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved a NASA
authorization bill on Wednesday that would require NASA to add an
additional shuttle mission to the manifest. The House passed the NASA
Authorization Act of 2008 on a 409-15 vote late Wednesday after
debating the bill late last week. The bill authorizes $20.2 billion for
NASA in 2008, significantly above the $17.6 billion requested by the
administration; however, appropriations bills currently being
considered by both the House and Senate would fund NASA well below that
authorized figure, at about $17.8 billion.
A provision in the authorization bill would require NASA to fly two
"contingency" shuttle missions to the ISS currently on the manifest as
well as add a mission that would carry the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer
experiment to the station. That particular provision generated strong
opposition from the administration in a statement last week because of
the potential impact that additional mission would have on the
retirement of the shuttle fleet and development of Constellation. The
legislation will now be taken up by the Senate. (6/19)
NASA Bill Sends Message to Presidential Candidates
(Source: Orlando Sentinel)
President Bush "strongly opposes" elements of the newly passed NASA
Authorization Bill -- saying it costs too much -- but its backers said
the bill isn't meant for him. It's intended to show presidential
candidates John McCain and Barack Obama that NASA has support in
Congress. "We're really on to the next administration at this point.
That's 99 percent of our focus," said U.S. Rep. Tom Feeney, R-Oviedo,
one of the bill's sponsors. "By an overwhelming, enthusiastic and
bipartisan majority, the U.S. House has endorsed an aggressive
promotion of NASA in general and human spaceflight in particular." So
far, neither presidential candidate has made NASA a focus of his
campaign. McCain, the presumptive Republican nominee, said in a recent
interview that he is willing to "spend more taxpayers' dollars" on the
agency and was "intrigued" by a manned mission to Mars. (6/19)
Emergency Spending Bill Adds $62.5 Million for NASA
(Source: Space News)
NASA stands to receive an extra $62.5 million for 2008 if U.S.
President George W. Bush signs into law the $162 billion emergency
spending measure the U.S. House of Representatives passed June 19 to
fund the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and miscellaneous domestic
priorities. The emergency spending measure had included $200 million
for NASA when it was approved by the Senate in May. But the House cut
the NASA money by $137.5 million and stripped many other Senate-backed
domestic spending provisions in order to complete a bill Bush would be
willing to sign. (6/22)
Editorial: A Hopeful Sign (Source: Florida Today)
We've long advocated that support for America's space program should
transcend party lines and boosting NASA's plan to return to the moon
was a perfect fit for bipartisan backing. In a hopeful sign, that's
what happened in Congress a few days ago when House members voted an
overwhelming 409-15 to increase the agency's budget to $20.2 billion
for fiscal year 2009. That's $2 billion more than President Bush has
requested. Space Coast GOP Congressman Tom
Feeney deserves credit for helping lead the charge that brought the
increase. And he's right in saying it shows members are coming to
understand the danger in allowing NASA's manned space effort to
languish for at least five years after the shuttles stop flying in 2010.
This fight, however, is far from over. The increase faces an uncertain
fate in the Senate and Bush says he'll veto the bill if it passes.
However, it sends a strong message to the next president that the space
program is important to America and must have strong
support. (6/22)
Reality Check on Budgets (Source: NASA Watch)
Rep. Obey has all but conceded that the only appropriations bills that
he will allow to move to a floor vote are Defense and perhaps Homeland
Security. The common consensus is that the rest of the agencies will
see their budgets bundled into a Continuing Resolution. As such, all of
the budget increases that are being tossed around are seen more as more
guidance for the next Administration than the current one. Whether
these numbers end up in budgets is TBD. (6/20)
Job Loss Hearing Set for
Monday
(Source: Florida Today)
Resigned to losing about 6,400 high-paying space shuttle jobs in the
next three years, Brevard County economic boosters will participate in
a Senate field hearing Monday to help Florida's congressional leaders
try to minimize the impact. The hearing was organized by Democratic
Sen. Bill Nelson, chairman of the Senate subcommittee overseeing NASA.
Nelson wants to focus more attention on what happens after the space
shuttle fleet is retired in 2010. He is using the hearing to pressure
NASA to come up with more details about the expected job losses and
give local leaders an opportunity to suggest ways to generate
replacement jobs.
"Sen. Nelson wants to hear from NASA whether they have any plans in
place to help mitigate the (job) losses," said Bryan Gulley, a Nelson
spokesman. "He wants to know (if they are) planning on transferring any
work to Kennedy Space Center to help minimize those
losses." "We know the (space) industry is changing," said Lynda
Weatherman, president of the Economic Development Commission of
Florida's Space Cost. "We know a transition is taking place. If we work
together, we can nullify the gaps. We have ideas and suggestions."
(6/22)
Rally Aims to Show Candidates Impact of Space Job Losses
(Source: Florida Today)
Hoping to present "one unified gesture" in support of Brevard County's
space industry, a public rally is being organized around Monday's U.S.
Senate subcommittee hearing on projected job losses at Kennedy Space
Center after the shuttle stops flying in 2010. The organizers' goal is
to have 6,400 rally participants to visually demonstrate the impact of
6,400 job losses. The rally is intended to make a point to elected
leaders in Washington and, particularly, to the
next president. The event is planned for 8:30 at Port Canaveral,
outside the meeting room for the Senate hearing. Visit http://www.linktolaunch.org/ for information. (6/20)
OSTP: Urgent Recommendations for the Next President
(Source: What's New)
The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars held a media
briefing to release a report, "OSTP 2.0, Critical Upgrade." Drawing on
the advice of former Presidential Science Advisers, the report calls on
the next President to: 1) Name a Cabinet-level Assistant for Science
and Technology Policy early; 2) Integrate OSTP with other policymaking
bodies in the White House; and 3) Establish mechanisms to obtain expert
advice in a timely manner. Above all, the Science Adviser must have
easy access to the President. Written by some of the smartest
science-policy experts in Washington, the report refrains from
bashing the current OSTP. (6/20)
Poll: Americans Support Space Exploration, Believe it Inspires
Younger Generation (Source: NASA Watch)
As America prepares to celebrate the 50th anniversary of NASA later
this year, a new Gallup Poll shows strong support for the U.S. Space
Exploration Program. The most recent poll, conducted in May 2008, is
the latest in a series of four polls commissioned by the Coalition for
Space Exploration in an effort to better understand the extent of
support and public attitudes toward America's space program. The
first three polls were conducted in June 2005, March 2006 and August
2006. (6/17)
Voters Remain Wary of Higher Taxes to Support NASA
(Source: AIA)
A new poll found that boosting taxes to increase funding for NASA is
not popular with the public even though voters strongly approve of
NASA's work. The House is expected to vote on adding $2.9 billion to
NASA's budget this week. Meanwhile, lawmakers who support boosting
spending on NASA say public opinion should not be a guiding force for
funding. (6/18)
Space Exploration and the Retirement of the Baby Boomers
(Source: Space Review)
Everyone agrees on the importance of low-cost space access, but
previous efforts to achieve it, from the space shuttle to the X-33,
have failed. Charles Miller and Jeff Foust argue that the right
approach is to focus on the broader industry, not a specific program.
Visit http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1152/1 to view the article.
(6/16)
NASA Plans Launch Pad Repairs Before August Atlantis Rollout
(Source: Florida Today)
NASA engineers are guaranteeing that damage to the flame trench will be
fixed before the August rollout of Atlantis for an early October
launch. "We'll be fixed and ready to go by that point," STS-124
assistant launch director Ed Mango said. A repair plan will be
presented for approval by the end of the month. Becker said the
three-foot concrete wall behind the bricks is solid and the launch pad
is structurally sound. (6/16)
NASA Remains Silent on Rocket that Could Rescue the Cape (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
It's the rocket NASA won't talk about -- but proponents insist it could
change everything. If built, they say, it could get America back on the moon faster
and cheaper than anything NASA is designing -- and save thousands of
jobs in Florida. It's called Direct 2.0,
or the Jupiter 120 rocket. The simplicity of its design (using more
Space Shuttle infrastructure and components than would Ares-1 and
Ares-5), and the possibility that it could shave years off a projected
five-year gap in U.S. human spaceflight once the shuttle retires in
2010, is gaining Direct a growing following among engineers and space
enthusiasts -- including NASA workers who are secretly helping the
project on their own time. Adherents say it could fly by 2013 for less
than the projected cost of NASA's Ares rocket.
Indeed, an unfinished internal NASA study -- shut down and disowned by
the agency last fall -- showed Direct 2.0 would outperform Ares, which
the agency is designing for its Constellation program to return
astronauts to the moon. The initial results showed Direct 2.0 was
superior in cost, overall performance and work-force retention -- a big
issue for Florida. However, NASA is working
to stifle debate about alternatives such as Direct, pooh-poohing
supporters' claims and warning Congress that any move to abandon Ares
risks grounding the U.S. space program for
decades. Visit http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/space/orl-rocket2208jun22,0,6150021.story
to view the article. (6/22)
New Contract at KSC Affects 3,000 Workers (Source: Florida
Today)
The second largest contract at Kennedy Space Center will be changing
hands this fall, and the futures of 3,000 workers hang in the balance.
EG&G Technical Services won a contract Wednesday worth up to $1.5
billion to provide institutional services at the nation's primary
spaceport. The company will perform "most of the functions currently
performed" by Space Gateway Support, the company that acts as "the city
manager" at NASA's shuttle homeport. EG&G Technical Services will
determine the future of the current SGS work force when the new
five-year contract takes effect on Oct. 1. (6/19)
NASA Extends Expendable Launch Vehicles Support Contract
(Source: NASA)
NASA has awarded Analex Corp. an option for the Expendable Launch
Vehicles Integrated Support, or ELVIS, contract. This second option
period award is a hybrid performance-based, cost-plus-award-fee,
fixed-price-award-fee, and fixed-price indefinite-delivery,
indefinite-quantity contract. It extends ELVIS through Sept. 30, 2011. The award has a
potential value of approximately $90 million. If all options are
exercised, the nine-year and three-month contract would have
approximate value of $258 million.
The contract provides integrated support services in the areas of
business and administration, safety and mission assurance, engineering,
and technical, facility, and launch operations. Launch vehicles include
the Atlas, Delta, Pegasus, Taurus, and Falcon rockets. The contract
specifically provides engineering services and analyses,
communications, telemetry, special studies, and technical services for
ground and flight expendable launch vehicle systems and payloads. (6/16)
Extreme Makeover: Outer Space Style (Source: ABC News)
The defining image of space exploration is set for a facelift as the
spacesuit prepares for its first update since the late 1970s. The
Constellation Program mission requires two spacesuit system
configurations to meet the requirements of Orion missions to the space
station and to the moon. Current suits, called extravehicular mobility
units, like the ones used on the International Space Station and on
shuttle missions, were "built for a completely different set of
problems," and not for exploring the moon, said a NASA manager. (6/17)
Harris Will Build
Next-Generation Space Suit Radios (Source: Washington
Technology)
Melbourne-based Harris Corp. will provide the radio communications and
navigation system for NASA’s next-generation spacesuit under a
seven-year contract with a potential value of $58 million. Under NASA’s
new Constellation Space Suit System contract, Harris will design and
build a radiation-hardened radio that is software-operated, uses a
voice-only contingency radio and has low-profile antennas. The
software-defined radio has the flexibility and adaptability to
accommodate evolving voice- and data-networking requirements on future
lunar missions. (6/19)
Virginia Spaceport Plan 'Once in a Lifetime' for County
(Source: Eastern Shore News)
Orbital Sciences Corporation's announcement last week that it will
locate its new space launch vehicle project at the Mid-Atlantic
Regional Spaceport here comes at a good time for Accomack County as it
nears agreements necessary to develop the Wallops Research Park, an
official said last week. The county also is anticipating completion of
a $12,500 study it commissioned to analyze Bay Coast Railroad's impact
on Accomack's economy. That study at the county's request will include
analysis of the economic impact a railroad spur to the research park
area would have. (6/18)
Richardson's Presidential Campaign Donated to Spaceport Tax
Effort (Source: Las Cruces Sun-News)
Gov. Bill Richardson's unsuccessful presidential campaign was the
largest contributor to a political action committee that pushed for
passage of a spaceport tax referendum in Sierra County last April,
according to reports submitted to the New Mexico Secretary of State's
office. The Richardson for President campaign
gave $10,000 to People for Aerospace of Sierra County on April 8, two
weeks before the April 22 vote in which Sierra residents overwhelmingly
approved the tax, clearing the way for a spaceport taxation district.
(6/19)
California Report Highlights Competing States' Incentives for
Aerospace Industry (Source: CSA)
The California Research Bureau released "Aerospace States' Incentives
To Attract The Industry: An Update," a report requested by Senator Roy
Ashburn to update "Other States' Incentives to Attract or Encourage
Aerospace Manufacturing," published in June 1999. The California Space
Authority supported this effort through the California Space Enterprise
Strategic Plan 2007-2010 and collaborated with the parties involved.
Download the document at http://www.library.ca.gov/crb/08/08-005.pdf. (6/20)
NASA Launches Ocean Satellite from California (Source:
NASA)
A new NASA-French space agency oceanography satellite launched from
California's Vandenberg Air Force Base on Friday morning aboard a ULA
Delta-2 rocket. The satellite will continue charting sea level, a vital
indicator of global climate change. The mission will return a vast
amount of new data that will improve weather, climate and ocean
forecasts. (6/20)
NASA to Gauge Rise of Sea Levels (Source: Florida Today)
NASA on Friday will launch a $433 million mission aimed at tracking a
significant rise in sea levels that within the next century could swamp
the state of Florida and low-lying cities around the world. The joint
U.S.-European undertaking will get under way with the launch of the
Jason 2 spacecraft. Orbiting 830 miles above the planet, Jason 2 will
measure sea surface heights that are rising at twice the rate recorded
by tide gauges during the past century. Global warming and melting ice
in Greenland and the Antarctic are
culprits. Projections show coastal zones in Florida, Pacific island nations
and low-lying cities worldwide could be flooded. (6/19)
Vandenberg-Launched
Satellite Could Improve Hurricane Prediction (Source: Santa Barbara
Independent)
Because the world’s oceans absorb heat and are a regulator of global
climate, Jason 2 includes sea surface temperature instrumentation in
addition to the altimeter that helps it determine sea level height.
While monitoring the ocean’s surface for tsunamis is beyond the
capability of Jason 2—a vast array of satellites would be needed to
provide complete and constant coverage of the ocean’s
surface—scientists are hopeful that the improved technology in the new
satellite will enable more accurate hurricane prediction. (6/22)
Editorial: Asteroids Better NASA Target Than Moon (Source:
Corvallis Gazette)
Gregg Easterbrook suggests that NASA's planned moon base is not the
right goal for NASA. NASA likes it because the project is
astronaut-intensive. Congress likes it because it has the potential to
ladle plenty of federal pork on certain congressional districts. The
problem, as Easterbrook explains, is that such a plan sucks money away
from an effort that could have a much better return on our investment:
Identifying asteroids and comets — space rocks — that could strike the
Earth and figuring out ways to change the courses of those objects.
(6/16)
Lockheed Martin And NASA Ames Team Selected To Design New
Solar Mission (Source: SpaceDaily.com)
The Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company, the NASA Ames Research
Center in Mountain View, and a national and international team of
co-investigators have been selected by NASA to undertake a $750,000
six-month study to design a new NASA Small Explorer Mission called the
Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS). (6/16)
Three Super-Earths Found Orbiting One Star (Source:
Space.com)
A trio of planets called super-Earths has been spotted orbiting a
sun-like star, astrophysicists announced today at an international
conference in France. Super-Earths are more massive than Earth but less
massive than Uranus and Neptune. Spotting true Earth-sized planets is
challenging with current technology, but the presence of super-Earths
suggests finding a world like ours is just a matter of time,
researchers say. (6/16)
Researchers Looking at
Effects of Space Travel (Source: Galveston News)
A group of volunteers who’ve been lying in bed for months at a time
could help find a way for people to travel space with ease. Since 2004,
volunteers have undergone 60 to 90 days of bed rest so that researchers
at NASA and the University of Texas Medical Branch can better understand
what happens to the human body when it is without gravity for long
periods. NASA researchers have known for years that astronauts come
back from orbiting the Earth with weakened muscles, heart problems and
loss of bone density. Now, finding a way to prevent those problems has
gotten a little easier. The bed-rest study, where participants lie
horizontally with their heads 6 degrees below their feet, mimics the
effects weightless space travel has on the body. (6/21)
Bright Chunks at NASA Phoenix Lander’s Mars Site Must Have
Been Ice (Source: NASA Watch)
Dice-size crumbs of bright material have vanished from inside a trench
where they were photographed by NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander four days
ago, convincing scientists that the material was frozen water that
vaporized after digging exposed it. "It must be ice," said Phoenix
Principal Investigator Peter Smith of The University of Arizona, Tucson." (6/20)
Can the Martian Arctic Support Extreme Life? (Source: AP)
Bizarre microbes flourish in the most punishing environments on Earth
from the bone-dry Atacama Desert in Chile to the boiling hot springs of Yellowstone National Park to the sunless sea bottom
vents in the Pacific. Could such exotic life emerge in the frigid
arctic plains of Mars? NASA's Phoenix spacecraft could soon
find out. There hasn't been a eureka moment yet. Scientists hope
experiments by the lander will reveal whether the local ice has ever
melted and whether there are any organic, or carbon-containing,
compounds. The discovery of extreme life forms, known as extremophiles,
in unexpected nooks and crannies of the Earth in recent years has
helped inform scientists in their search for extraterrestrial life.
(6/22)
Life in Outer Space? Astronomers Hunt Aliens (Source:
Reuters)
Japan's biggest astronomical
observatories are teaming up for an unprecedented quest to find out
whether there is life in outer space. The project, led by Japanese
astronomers, will bring together a dozen or more observatories from all
over the country to study one star that researchers see as a potential
home to an extraterrestrial civilization. The search for aliens and
UFOs is not new to Japan. Last year, unidentified
flying objects grabbed the headlines after a lawmaker submitted a
question to the cabinet on whether the country had confirmed any cases
of their existence. The government's answer: no. Visit http://www.reuters.com/article/scienceNews/idUST18713920080620 to view the article.
(6/20)
Spacehab Eyes Biomedical Research Aboard Space Station
(Source: Space News)
For years scientists had to beg for access to the space shuttle to
conduct microgravity research, until a well-timed salmonella discovery
helped cinch a spot for Spacehab Inc. on all but one of the shuttle's
remaining scheduled flights. Amid growing concern about salmonella
outbreaks and an increase in the bacteria's resistance to existing
medicine, Spacehab sent a second round of salmonella vaccine research
to the space station May 31. Previous tests have shown salmonella is
more virulent in microgravity, although scientists are not sure why.
Spacehab will take the results of a recent spaceflight salmonella
project to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, in hopes the agency
will allow Spacehab to begin human trials of a salmonella vaccine by
October. Spacehab a list of 20 other infectious diseases to send to the
space station for vaccine research. On each of 10 upcoming shuttle
flights, Spacehab will send between eight and 16 of its Group
Activation Packs — polycarbonate cylinders containing eight
114-millimeter test tubes. With the turn of a handle, an astronaut will
release bacteria-eating worms and growth nutrients from one end of each
test tube to mix with disease-causing bacteria in a separate
compartment at the other end of the tube.
In May, Spacehab established a subsidiary, BioSpace Technolgies Inc.,
for its biotechnology research. The company, headed by Royston for now,
hired as its chief science officer Jeanne Becker, vice president and
associate director of the National Space Biomedical Research Institute
in Houston. Spacehab's efforts have
drawn support from the state of Florida. The state's space arm,
Space Florida, has committed $90,000 to
the salmonella project, and Steve Kohler, president of Space Florida, plans to ask his board
to approve $210,000 more. (6/22)
Spacehab Hires Lance Lord to Lead Astrotech (Source: ERAU)
Amid a sustained downturn in U.S. commercial satellite launches,
Spacehab has hired retired Air Force General Lance Lord to lead its
Astrotech subsidiary. The company has replaced much of its commercial
satellite processing business with work for government agencies. (6/19)
Wynne Says U.S. Air Force Must Review Procurement Approach
(Source: Space News)
On his last day in office, U.S. Air Force Secretary Michael Wynne said
the service needs to rethink its procurement strategies — in space and
other systems — and perhaps make them less complicated. "We've got to
get away from the 'Battlestar Galacticas' and we've got to go back to
simpler mission satellites," Wynne said. One way to do that is to take
advantage of opportunities to put military payloads aboard commercial
satellites, a concept known as hosted payloads, Wynne said. (6/22)
Tanker Contract Highlights Pentagon Procurement Problems
(Source: AIA)
The Government Accountability Office's criticism of how the Air Force
handled a contract for refueling tankers highlights the DOD's
procurement problems, observers say. "This is part of a pattern," said
Winslow Wheeler, director of the Straus Military Reform Project at the
Center for Defense Information. "In the military services, there's a
sentiment that 'we can do whatever we want because no one serious is
looking over our shoulder.' " (6/20)
Northrop, EADS Postpone Factory Construction (Source: AIA)
Northrop Grumman has postponed plans to break ground on two factories
in Alabama where it intended to
build aerial refueling tankers for the Air Force. The Government
Accountability Office on Thursday said the Air Force made errors during
the bidding process and sustained a protest made by Boeing. Northrop
has not set a new date for groundbreaking. Meanwhile, suppliers that
have contracts with Northrop are concerned that the GAO ruling may
affect their revenue. (6/20)
Report: Pentagon Misled Congress on Threat to NORAD
Headquarters (Source: Space News)
The Pentagon understated the vulnerability faced by the nation's air
and space defense command before it relocated to Colorado's Peterson
Air Force Base, a newspaper reported Monday. (6/17)
Photographer Documents Secret Satellites — All 189 of Them
(Source: WIRED)
For most people, photographing something that isn't there might be
tough. Not so for Trevor Paglen. His shots of 189 secret spy satellites
are the subject of a new exhibit -- despite the fact that, officially
speaking, the satellites don't exist. The Other Night Sky, on display
at the University of California at Berkeley Art Museum through September 14, is
only a small selection from the 1,500 astrophotographs Paglen has taken
thus far. (6/21)
GAO Report Reveals Continuing Problems With NPOESS
(Source: NASA Watch)
"Costs increases persist in the program. Testimony from GAO indicates
that the likely lifetime cost has grown to between $13.5 - $14 billion,
at least a billion dollars over the $12.5 billion estimated for the
recertified program in 2006. GAO states that the increases come from
the costs needed to correct instrument problems over the last year, the
possible cost of upgrading computer security standards for the ground
network, and a better estimate of the cost of running the system until
its scheduled end in 2026." (6/20)
Sarkozy Announces Plan for Massive Military Space Spending
(Source: Space News)
French President Nicolas Sarkozy on June 17 committed his
administration to "a massive investment" in space-based intelligence
and the creation of a Joint Space Command for military space oversight
to be managed by the French air force and placed under the authority of
the Joint Defense Staff. (6/17)
Sarkozy Faces Uphill Battle to Boost Military Space Spending
(Source: Space News)
French President Nicolas Sarkozy's call for more military space
spending faces stiff resistance in France and an uncertain reception by
France's European partners, French government and industry officials
said. Opposition on either front could be lethal for the proposals,
they added. Sarkozy is calling for no real increase in defense
spending. Instead, space-based assets would be financed from savings
resulting from cuts in the number of French military personnel and the
closure of unneeded military bases in France. In Europe, the reaction of Germany and Italy will be key to
determining whether satellites for missile detection and radar and
electronics eavesdropping will be built. (6/22)
Eyeing Defense Plans, Japan Appoints First Space
Development Minister (Source: Space Daily)
Japan on Tuesday appointed its
first ever minister of space development after the pacifist nation
scrapped a decades-old ban on the use of space programs for defense.
Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda picked Fumio Kishida, the science policy
minister, to take on the additional role, government officials said.
The appointment was in line with last month's passing of a new law
allowing the use of outer space for defense, breaking a decades-old
taboo amid increasing concern about military threats in the region.
(6/18)
India Space Command Needed
to Check China (Source: Times of India)
With China developing anti-satellite (ASAT) missiles, lasers and other
offensive space capabilities, India has no option but to be fully
prepared for "star wars" in the future. The creation of just "an
integrated space cell", announced by defense minister A K Antony last
week, will just not do towards achieving this objective. What is needed
is a full-fledged tri-service space command for effective tactical,
operational and strategic exploitation of the "final frontier".
The disquiet among the Indian military brass over China's deadly counter-space
military program, with "direct-ascent" ASAT missiles, hit-to-kill
"kinetic" and directed-energy laser weapons, came clearly through on
Monday. "China's space program is
expanding at an exponentially rapid pace in both offensive and
defensive content," said army chief general Deepak Kapoor, adding that
space was increasingly becoming the "ultimate military high ground" to
dominate in the wars of the future. (6/17)
Indo-China Warzone Shifts to Space (Source: NDTV)
India's Army chief spelt it out on Monday that China is a threat to
India from a new frontier, space. Exactly a week after Defense Minister
A K Antony announced the creation of an Integrated Space Cell to
protect India's space assets, the
Indian Army went public on Monday with its vision for military
application of space. The message is clear. India is alive to China's efforts in militarizing
space. India's space cell in the
Indian Army has been operational for some time but this is for the
first time that the Indian Army top brass has gone public with what is
considered a rather hush-hush project. (6/16)
A Busy 2009 for India in Space (Source: Hindu Business
Line)
Flying high on its recent success of placing 10 satellites into space
at one stroke, the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), is
looking ahead to a busy schedule for the next 18 months. It has six
major launches, starting with perhaps the most challenging Chandrayan I
(moon mission), which is expected in September. Following Chandrayan I,
will be about 5 launches in 2009. These include RISAT (Radar Imaging
Satellite), ASTROSAT (Astronomy Satellite), the Indo-French
Megha-Tropiques and two commercial launches, he said. (6/20)
Russia Starts Equipment Delivery
for Kourou Spaceport on July 10 (Source: RIA Novosti)
Russia has started preparing the
equipment to be sent to the Kourou spaceport in French Guiana. "The first vessel will
set out from Vyborg [near St. Petersburg] with 105 containers of
equipment provided by 18 Russian enterprises. All the equipment has
been adapted to meet European standards," said a spokesman. He said the
vessel is due to leave port on July 10 and arrive by the end of the
month. "Installation work at the Kourou space center will start in
August and is to be completed by the end of 2008. The first two Soyuz ST rockets are to be
launched in January 2009," he said. (6/16)
Russia Launches US Commercial
Satellites
(Source: AP)
Russia successfully launched six
U.S. communications satellites
into orbit Thursday, officials said. The Kosmos-3M booster rocket
blasted off from the Kapustin Yar launchpad in southern Russia carrying the satellites,
owned by ORBCOMM Inc., into orbit. ORBCOMM said the launch will enhance
its satellite network performance, providing faster message delivery
for the company's customers. The satellites are equipped with Automatic
Identification System (AIS) payloads to receive and report
transmissions from AIS-equipped ships. ORBCOMM said it intends to
market this AIS data to U.S. and international coast
guards and government agencies, as well as to companies whose
businesses require such ship tracking and other navigational
activities. (6/19)
Europe’s Jules Verne ATV
Reveals Unexpected Capabilities (Source: ESA)
Eleven weeks into its integrated service to the International Space
Station, Jules Verne ATV has followed up its successful automatic
docking on 3 April 2008 by achieving all its scheduled objectives - and
much more. ATV is providing capabilities never planned for before its
mission. Jules Verne will soon transfer its entire 856 kg of refueling
propellant to the Space Station and reboost the 300-ton Station to a
higher orbit for the second time since its arrival. Crewmembers
meanwhile are using the European space supply vessel as a new area to
sleep and wash. One of its empty tanks has successfully stored 110
liters of condensation water from the ISS. And, last but not least, the
ATV’s mission in orbit has been extended from August to September, in
order to take advantage of its powerful ISS reboost capabilities. (6/16)
Boeing to Bid for European Galileo Satellite Navigation
Contracts (Source: SpaceDaily.com)
Boeing plans to compete for contracts connected with the European
satellite navigation system Galileo. "Boeing is taking part in
discussions with a view towards eventually participating in the Galileo
project," a spokeswoman said. The Galileo project, worth about 3.4
billion euros ($5.2 billion) between now and 2013, is to be broken down
into six sectors: Satellites, launch vehicles, software, ground relay
stations, control centers, and overall management. (6/16)
Sole Kazakh Satellite Fails (Source: AFP)
Kazakhstan's only telecommunications satellite, designed by Russia, has
broken down after just two years and may be lost irretrievably, the
head of the Kazakh space agency said. At a news conference in Almaty,
space agency chief Talgat Musayev said the satellite, named KazSat, was
failing to respond to commands and there was a "very high" chance it
could not be recovered. (6/16)
Financial Risk Analysis for the Space Industry (Source:
Space Review)
Parts of the space industry are mature enough that investors and
insurers know what they're getting into. However, as Taylor Dinerman
notes, new ventures and new markets are much harder to understand,
requiring a different kind of risk mindset. Visit http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1151/1 to view the article.
(6/16)
Space Angels Network Adds Founding Members (Source:
Washington Business Journal)
Space Angels Network, a national organization of seed- and early-stage
investors focused on aerospace-related ventures, has secured its first
members from four investment firms, the group announced Wednesday.
Joining the Leesburg-based organization are: Esther Dyson of EDventure
Holdings in New York; Stephen Fleming of
Atlanta Technology Angels in Georgia; David S. Rose of New
York Angels in New York; and Ed Tuck of Falcon
Fund in California. First launched in April
2007 by Guillermo Söhnlein, the group began seeking investors with a
net worth of at least $1 million, who are interested in investing in
commercial space businesses such as space travel and micro satellites,
late last year. The new investors bring the network's total membership
to 10 with a goal of reaching 25 members by the end of this year. (6/18)
Space Tourism Firms Set for Big Leaps (Source: Space.com)
Two space tourism firms hoping to give fare-paying customers the rides
of their lives are set to take some major steps forward in coming
months. On July 28, the suborbital tourism firm Virgin Galactic will
unveil the first WhiteKnightTwo mothership for its planned fleet of
SpaceShipTwo spaceliners designed by aerospace veteran Burt Rutan and
his company Scaled Composites. Meanwhile, the Virginia-based company
Space Adventures is preparing to launch its sixth paying customer on a
$30 million trek to the International Space Station on Oct.12, with two
more orbital hopefuls already waiting in the wings. Visit http://www.space.com/news/080620-virgingalactic-spaceadventures.html to view the article.
(6/20)
Private Space Age Turns 4 (Source: MSNBC)
Last weekend marked four years since Burt Rutan and his team at Scaled
Composites ushered in the age of privately developed spaceflight with
the SpaceShipOne rocket plane. But don't expect a big celebration:
Rutan told me he's been so busy ushering in the next stage of the
spaceflight age that he forgot about the anniversary. "We are so
focused on SpaceShipTwo development here, with a lot of new engineers
and technicians, that we tend to forget our accomplishments of 2004,"
the aerospace designer wrote in an e-mail from his headquarters in
Mojave, Calif. "I can say that the SpaceShipOne program for [software
billionaire] Paul Allen was the most challenging and most rewarding
program I have done. (6/20)
Boeing Awards Rocket Project Subcontract to Houston Firm
(Source: Houston Business Journal)
MEI Technologies Inc. has been awarded a subcontract to provide
services for the development of the Ares I rocket being built as a
replacement for the Space Shuttle. The subcontract was one of three
awarded by Boeing as part of a larger NASA avionics contract.
Houston-based MEI Technologies will support electronic ground equipment
development and test activities of the Ares I, a multi-billion dollar
project aimed at transporting astronauts back to the moon by 2020.
(6/20)
Aerojet Ships Propulsion System For Mars Science Laboratory Mission (Source: SpaceDaily.com)
Aerojet has shipped the rocket engines destined for use on NASA's Mars
Science Laboratory (MSL). When MSL is launched in the fall of 2009
aboard the Atlas V, Aerojet will provide propulsion for every phase of
the mission. The Atlas V will be configured with four Aerojet solid
motors to provide an additional one million pounds of thrust to the
launch vehicle. The Centaur upper stage will use 12 Aerojet 6 to
9-pound thrust monopropellant hydrazine thrusters to provide roll,
pitch, yaw and settling burns and eight Aerojet retro-rockets for
Centaur upper stage separation. (6/11)
Lockheed Martin Program Director Inducted Into GPS Hall of Fame
(Source: CSA)
David J. Podlesney, a 34-year Lockheed Martin employee, was inducted
into the Global Positioning System (GPS) Hall of Fame for 2008 during a
May 21 ceremony in Long Beach, Calif. The Global Positioning Systems
Wing of the U.S. Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center established the GPS Hall
of Fame in 1995 to recognize individuals who have made lasting
contributions to the worldwide system. Previous honorees include GPS
co-inventors Dr. Bradford W. Parkinson and the late Ivan Getting. (6/20)
Lockheed Martin Partners with Bay Area Teachers to Inspire
Future Scientists and Engineers (Source: CSA)
Lockheed Martin is hosting 20 elementary school, middle school, and
high school teachers over the summer as part of the company's on-going
partnership with the Bay Area-based Industry Initiatives for Science
and Math Education (IISME). The IISME organization works to foster a
strong, highly skilled workforce in mathematics, science and
technology. A key IISME initiative is its Summer Fellowship Program
that places qualified teachers into local companies and research labs
for an eight-week learning experience. (6/16)
NASA and Disney Invite Kids to Explore Space with WALL-E
(Source: NASA)
An animated robot and his spacefaring companion are leading a campaign
by NASA and Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures to promote interest
among schoolchildren in science and technology. NASA and Disney have
signed a Space Act Agreement for a series of educational and public
outreach activities related to Disney-Pixar's new movie, WALL-E. This
collaboration highlights the similarities between the movie's storyline
and NASA's real-life work in robot technology, propulsion systems and
astrophysics. Disney-Pixar's WALL-E is set 700 years in the future. The
film's main character is the only rover-robot left on Earth. He meets a
new robot named Eve, and together they take a journey through the
universe. (6/18)
Ecuador Boy Sets Zero-G Flight
Record
(Sources: NASA Watch, AP)
A 7-year-old Ecuador boy has become the
youngest passenger ever aboard a zero-gravity flight. Jules Nader says
he wasn't scared during the four minutes of weightlessness he
experienced aboard an air force plane. He told The Associated Press on
Friday that he felt "like Spider-Man." Nader's 10-year-old brother
Gerard also made the flight, which was aboard an Ecuadorian air force
plane in Guayaquil, Ecuador, on June 19. (6/21)
Approval of Sirius - XM Deal Includes Caveats (Source:
Reuters)
Sirius Satellite Radio's planned acquisition of XM Satellite Radio
appeared on Monday to draw closer to consummation after a key U.S.
regulator expressed support for the deal. FCC Chairman Kevin Martin
confirmed published reports that he would support the transaction, with
the companies agreeing to a series of conditions. Those conditions
include a pledge to make 24 radio channels available for noncommercial
and minority programming, according to FCC sources. In addition, the
companies would agree to cap prices, provide interoperable radios and
offer programming on an "a la carte" basis. (6/16)
5 Reasons a Merger Won't Save XM and Sirius (Source: US
News & World Report)
The Federal Communications Commission is likely to let satellite radio
pioneers XM and Sirius come together. The companies say they need to
merge to keep their business thriving in the face of growing
competition. Ha. If they thought they had problems, it's gotten worse
in the 16 months that their merger proposal has languished in Washington bureaucracy. Click here to view the article.
(6/16)
XM, Sirius Plunge After Merger Report (Source: Washington
Post)
Days after the nation's top telecommunications policymaker signaled his
approval of a merger between the two satellite radio providers, XM and
Sirius, a negative report released on the future of the companies sent
shares of each firm sharply lower. XM Satellite Radio stock fell 17
percent, and Sirius Satellite Radio's stock dropped 12 percent
yesterday. The declines followed a report by Goldman Sachs analyst Mark
Wienkes saying that cash flows of the merged company would suffer as
satellite radio services faced increased competition from MP3 players
and other technologies such as streaming music on the new iPhone. He
advised investors to sell the stocks, saying that even though the
merger would help reduce costs, subscriber growth would slow and debt
would mount over the longer term. (6/20)
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Last Week’s DOD
Contract Awards in California
R.A. Burch Construction
Company Inc.,
Ramona, Calif., is being awarded $12,347,785 for
firm-fixed-price Task Order #0002 under a previously awarded
indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity multiple award construction
contract (N62473-08-D-8607) for design-build renovation of Buildings 1
& 11, Antisubmarine Warfare Point Loma. Work will be performed in San Diego, Calif., and is expected to be
completed by April 2010. Contract funds will expire at the end of the
current fiscal year. Four proposals were received for this task order.
The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Southwest, San Diego, California, is the contracting
activity.
ECC, Inc., Burlingame, Calif., was awarded on May 24, 2008, a $13,175,071 firm-fixed
price contract for design and construction of facilities for the Afghan
National Police Border Police Zone. Work will be performed in Mazar-e-Sharif, Afghanistan, and is expected to be
completed by July 1, 2009. Contract funds will not
expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Five bids were solicited
on April 23, 2008, and four bids were
received. U.S. Army Engineer District, Afghanistan, is the contracting
activity.
Kern Steel Fabrication, Inc of Bakersfield, Calif., is being awarded a firm
fixed price contract for $13,626,906. This effort will provide for the
design and production of an Isochronal (ISO) Maintenance Stand for the
C-5 aircraft. The award amount in item #3 above involves the design and
one first production unit (Albeit not exercised yet, Option I involves
quantities of 1 to 3 maintenance stands. At this time $13,626,906 has
been obligated.
Science Applications
International Corp, San Diego, Calif., is being awarded an
$8,756,327 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for theoretical analysis, new
algorithm development and the development of physics based models for
vacuum electronics devices. Work will be
performed at the Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, D.C. (85 percent) and the SAIC
Facility, San Diego, Calif. (15 percent), and work is
expected to be completed June 2012. Contract funds in the amount of
$49,000 will expire at end of current fiscal year. This
contract was competitively procured under Naval Research Laboratory
Broad Agency Announcement 68-07-01. The Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, D.C., is the contracting
activity.
BP Energy Company, Houston, Texas is being awarded a
maximum $268,462,041.00 fixed-price with economic price adjustment
contract for natural gas supplies. Other locations of performance will
be in New Mexico, Utah, Nevada and California. Using services are Army,
Navy, Air Force and Federal Civilian Agencies. The original proposal
was Web solicited with 37 responses. Contract funds will not expire at
the end of the current fiscal year. The date of performance completion
is September 30, 2011. The contracting activity
is Defense Energy Support Center (DESC), Fort Belvoir, Va.
Northrup Grumman Corp
Integrated Systems, El Segundo, Calif.,
is being awarded a $48,288,640 firm-fixed-price contract
for 20 center barrels, 6 nacelles; 5 for the U.S. Navy and
1 for the Government of Finland’s F/A-18 A/B/C/D aircraft. In addition,
this contract provides for loose and miscellaneous parts. This contract
combines purchases for the United States Navy ($47,233,536; 98
percent), and Government of Finland ($1,055,104; 2 percent) under the
Foreign Military Sales Program. Work will be performed in El
Segundo, Calif. (85 percent); and St. Augustine, Fla. (15 percent),
and is expected to be completed in November 2011. Contract funds in the
amount of $2,508,499 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year.
This contract was not competitively procured. The Naval Air Systems
Command, Patuxent River, Md. is the contracting
activity.
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