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National & International Items
Next NASA Administrator a Political Mystery (Source:
Huntsville Times)
Trying to figure who will take the reins of NASA under the next White
House is about like guessing what is on the surface of Pluto - the one
place in the solar system never visited by a research probe. Predicting
the next administrator of the space agency would just be a stab in the
cold dark, said Keith Cowing, a former NASA employee and founder of the
Web site NASAwatch.com. "To guess with all the names floating about
would just be futile, and it would flame the rumor mill," Cowing said.
"There have been so many names out there and each one says they are not
interested...It's really a job nobody wants." (12/2)
Speculation on NASA's Next Administrator (Source:
Spaceports Blog)
Space News last month speculated on the names of possible NASA
Administrator candidates: Charles F. Bolden, a retired Marine Corps
Brig. General; Lori Garver, a former NASA associate administrator for
policy and plans (and now working NASA transition); Scott Hubbard,
Stanford University and leader of the re-examination of the Vision for
Space Exploration leader; Wesley Huntress at the Geophysical Laboratory
at the Carnegie Institute; Dr. Sally Ride, America's first female
astronaut; Chris Scolese, NASA's present third in command; Dr. Steve
Squyres at Cornell University and famous for the Mars Rovers; Dr. Alan
Stern, PI on the Pluto-bound New Horizon's mission; Dr. Ed Weiler, now
at NASA HQ overseeing science; and S. Pete Warden, director of NASA
Ames and retired USAF general. (12/3)
Stimulus Can Help NASA Reach Goal (Source: Houston
Chronicle)
Much has happened on the way to carrying out the Vision for Space
Exploration, the Bush plan to retire the shuttle and build the next
vehicles that will return us to the Moon and go on to Mars, and as a
result the Vision may be delayed or severely sidetracked. Most notable
among these events is the presidential election that will usher in a
new administration at a precarious time in the development of
Constellation, the program charged with building the nation's next
generation of space-faring vehicles.
There has been no shortage of advice on how best to proceed, with views
that diverge from the current path NASA is pursuing. In short order,
the Obama team will need to make strategic choices and difficult
funding decisions that will impact the future of space exploration and
the direction that NASA will take over the next four years and beyond.
However, opportunities may exist if these decisions are placed in a
broader context and seen as a complement to addressing the financial
crisis the nation is now facing. One of the first orders of business
for Congress and our new president will be to take up a new stimulus
plan in the next session that could rival the cost of the recent $700
billion financial bailout. Click here to view the article.
(12/1)
Obama Pledges Public Works on a Vast Scale (Source: New
York Times)
President-elect Barack Obama promised Saturday to create the largest
public works construction program since the inception of the interstate
highway system a half century ago as he seeks to put together a plan to
resuscitate the reeling economy. With jobs evaporating and the
recession deepening, Mr. Obama began highlighting elements of the
economic recovery program he is trying to fashion with Congressional
leaders in hopes of being able to enact it shortly after being sworn in
on Jan. 20.
Mr. Obama's remarks showcased his ambition to expand the definition of
traditional work programs for the middle class, like infrastructure
projects to repair roads and bridges, to include new-era jobs in
technology and so-called green jobs that reduce energy use and global
warming emissions. "We need action -- and action now," Mr. Obama said in
an address broadcast Saturday morning on radio and YouTube. Mr. Obama's
plan, if enacted, would be in part a government-directed industrial
policy, with lawmakers and administration officials picking winners and
losers among private projects and raining large amounts of taxpayer
money on them. Editor's Note: Will space be
included? Stay tuned. (12/6)
The White House as a "Bully Pulpit" for Science (Source:
Space Politics)
A snippet from President-elect Obama's interview this morning on NBC's
"Meet the Press", talking about the "incredible bully pulpit" of the
White House and hosting events there: "Part of what we want to do is
open up the White House and remind people that this is the people's
house... When it comes to science, elevating science once again, and
having lectures in the White House, where people are talking about
traveling to the stars or breaking down atoms: inspiring our youth to
get a sense of what discovery is all about." (12/7)
Space Solar Power Pitched as Solution for Energy Independence
& Climate Change (Source: SpaceRef.com)
A National Security Space Office (NSSO) study concluded in Oct. 2007
that "The magnitude of the looming energy and environmental problems is
significant enough to warrant consideration of all options, to include
... space-based solar power." This NSSO report also concluded that SSP has "enormous potential
for energy security, economic development, improved environmental
stewardship, advancement of general space faring, and overall national
security for those nations who construct and possess a (SSP) capability."
We urge the next President of the United States to include SSP as a new start in a
balanced federal strategy for energy independence and environmental
stewardship, and to assign lead responsibility to a U.S. federal agency. Visit http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewsr.html?pid=30044
to view the article. (12/6)
Let the Sun Shine In (Source: The Economist)
Satellites that beam solar power to earth have often appeared in
science fiction. Will they ever become reality? The concept for space
solar power (SSP) has a small but growing
number of adherents. The basic idea is simple. Light from the sun is
the most abundant and cleanest source of energy available in the solar
system. Around the clock, 1.3 gigawatts of energy pour through every
square kilometer of space around the earth. This energy could be
captured by vast arrays of photovoltaic cells mounted on a satellite in
orbit around the planet. These solar cells would be illuminated at all
times of day, whatever the weather or the season, overcoming one of the
main drawbacks of solar power on the earth's surface. And with no
atmosphere in the way to absorb or scatter the incoming sunlight, solar
panels in space would produce over five times as much energy as those
on the ground. (12/6)
Lawmakers Hope Leverage, Alliances Will Save NASA From Deep
Cuts (Source: Houston Chronicle)
The Texas congressional delegation is launching a campaign to combat
potentially deep budget cuts for NASA as President-elect Barack Obama
focuses on rescuing the nation's economy. The drive comes amid
expectations that billions of dollars will be shifted from various
federal agencies into new programs to stimulate the economy and
stabilize the financial system.
With tough trade-offs ahead, NASA's supporters are bracing for a hard
look by the new administration and Democratic-controlled Congress at
the space agency's $20.2 billion budget for the current year, which
includes $5.8 billion for the shuttle and $3 billion to develop the
Orion moonship. The open-ended rescue is expected to leave Obama little
leeway to fulfill an expensive campaign promise he made in Florida to
close a five-year human spaceflight gap after the shuttle's retirement.
(12/3)
Senate Space Advocates Plan Departure (Sources: Space
Politics, ERAU)
One of the strongest NASA supporters in the Senate, Kay Bailey
Hutchison (R-TX), is expected to resign her seat some time next year in
order to run for governor. Hutchison's interest in the job is clear:
she considered running against current governor Rick Perry in the
Republican gubernatorial primary in 2006 before choosing to stay in the
Senate. She has worked in particular with Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-MD)
to try and win additional money for NASA--an effort that has had mixed
outcomes in the Senate and no additional money for NASA overall.
Meanwhile in Florida, Senator Mel Martinez has
announced that he intends to step down at the end of his present term
in 2010. Martinez has worked closely with Florida space advocates (often in
partnership with Senator Bill Nelson) to support space issues. He
recently planned to introduce amendments for the FAA Reauthorization
Bill to support the commercial space transportation. (12/3)
Obama Vows US Will Maintain "Strongest
Military on the Planet" (Source: Space Daily)
US President-elect Barack Obama vowed Monday to ensure the US military remains the
strongest force "on the planet" despite the economic challenges facing
the country. "To ensure prosperity here at home and peace abroad, we
all share the belief we have to maintain the strongest military on the
planet," Obama said as he unveiled a heavyweight national security team
to serve when he takes office on Jan. 20. "We also agree the strength
of our military has to be combined with the wisdom and force of
diplomacy, and that we are going to be committed to rebuilding and
re-strengthening alliances around the world to advance American
interests and American security," he said. (12/2)
Air Force Braces for Tighter Budget Amid Crisis (Source:
Wall Street Journal)
The Air Force's top officer warned last week that his service must be
ready to weather cuts to weapons programs and other budget areas as the
incoming administration confronts the growing tab for the financial
crisis. Air Force Chief of Staff Norton Schwartz said in an interview
that he is prepared for tough choices. "I can foresee there's going to
be additional pressure and, frankly, I don't think that's a bad thing,"
he said.
The Air Force will have to decide whether to continue production of a
mainstay jet transport, Boeing Co.'s C-17 Globemaster. "Our role is to
make our best argument to what the right mix is, from fighters to big
airplanes to satellites," he said. The Air Force's budget authority for
fiscal 2009, which started Oct. 1, is about $143 billion, with about
$35 billion for procurement of aircraft, satellites and other systems.
(12/1)
Air Force Declined to Help Intelsat Maneuver Satellite to
Avoid Collision (Source: Space News)
Satellite fleet operator Intelsat has asked the U.S. Air Force to
clarify its policy governing the provision of space-surveillance data
to non-U.S. government entities following an incident in which the
company says it was denied information it needed to execute a planned
maneuver of one of its satellites. In a letter to senior U.S. Air Force
officers, Intelsat said it was uncertain of whether to go through with
the maneuver of its IS 709 satellite because its internal analyses
predicted a "potential conjunction" with the Russian Raduga 1-7
satellite.
"The conjunction was predicted to occur on November 16 and our analysis
showed a miss distance of less than 1 [kilometer]," McGlade wrote. "We
had an IS 709 maneuver planned for November 13 and, based on the
information available to us, it was unclear whether we should cancel or
modify this maneuver." "In response, the Air Force provided their
opinion that a conjunction was not likely, but, in a break with past
practice, declined to provide additional information on the close
approaches." As a result, Intelsat had to decide on its own whether to
perform the maneuver. (12/5)
Wayward European Satellite Approaches Other Satellites
(Source: Space News)
Europe's Eumetsat weather satellite organization, whose Meteosat-8
satellite is believed to be in the vicinity of a U.S. missile warning
satellite drifting uncontrolled along the geostationary arc over the
equator, has received no indication from the U.S. Air Force that there
is a risk of a collision, Eumetsat Operations Director Mikael
Rattenborg said Dec. 5. (12/5)
Pentagon Overhauls Procurement Guidelines (Source: AIA)
Companies bidding for major military contracts will be required to
build prototypes of their systems under new procurement rules unveiled
Tuesday. Pentagon acquisitions chief John Young said the new rules are
based on his belief that "our policies must be more disciplined and
effective to ensure that results are more predictable and that we are
better stewards of taxpayer dollars." In an effort to combat
"requirements creep," the Pentagon will also implement steering boards
to review any changes proposed after initial cost estimates are
approved. (12/3)
The Uphill Battle for Export Control Reform (Source: Space Review)
A new administration and a new Congress are raising hopes in the space
industry that long-awaited export control reform may be in the offing.
Jeff Foust reports that some are more skeptical about the prospects for
major changes. Visit http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1259/1 to view the article.
(12/1)
Engaging China in Space: US Firms Tired
of Being Shut Out (Source: Asia Times)
President-elect Barack Obama will quickly see that dealing with China in space is going to be
tricky. In 2009, a new satellite will be launched that speaks volumes
about the complexity of the global space environment and the need for
the US to delicately balance
national security and commercial space interests. After all, China still offers the cheapest
rides to space for commercial satellites via its Long March rockets,
and beyond that, China still buys foreign-built
- especially European - satellites on occasion.
The Palapa-D satellite serves as a painful reminder for US companies
who have spent years trying to convince the US government that US satellite companies are
being penalized and rapidly losing ground in the commercial space realm
thanks primarily to the International Traffic in Arms Regulations
(ITAR). The regulations have since 1999 become, among other factors, a
major source of irritation for US satellite exporters and space
component manufacturers. Click here to view the article.
(12/4)
China/U.S. Space Relations: A Fresh Start or a Protracted
Showdown? (Source: Asia Times)
United States president-elect Barack
Obama has some tough choices to make with respect to how he will deals
with China in space. He might prefer
to proclaim the advantages of cooperation with China in terms of space
exploration and other activities, but the execution of any plan where
the US is perceived as letting its guard down is going to draw a lot of
criticism from conservatives, a wing of the US Congress which has been
deeply suspicious of the Chinese space program from the start. Visit http://www.atimes.com/atimes/China/JL03Ad01.html to view the article.
(12/2)
China Conducts First Successful
Test of Hybrid Rocket (Source: Xinhua)
China successfully launched and
retrieved a hybrid rocket on Friday for the first time. The rocket,
"Beihang-2", was launched from the Jiuquan spaceport in northwestern Gansu Province. The head of the rocket
was parachuted to the ground 1.2 km south of the launch site 15 minutes
later. The rocket reached an altitude of 3,000 m. The rocket was 3.417
m long and 0.22 m in diameter. It was designed primarily by 15
undergraduates and postgraduates of the School of Astronautics of Beijing University of
Aeronautics and Astronautics. Researchers said this kind of rocket
would not explode and had a low cost. The launch was mainly intended to
test the performance of the rocket's hybrid engine. (12/5)
China Launches Remote Sensing Satellite (Source:
SpaceToday.net)
A Long March rocket placed a Chinese remote sensing satellite into
orbit on Monday, lifting off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center
in northwest China with the Yaogan 4 satellite. Few details about the
spacecraft were released, other than that it will be used for
scientific research, resource surveying, and disaster monitoring. There
was no advance notice of the launch, and some Western analysts
speculate the spacecraft may also be used for military applications.
(12/1)
Russia Building Missiles
to Counter US Space Defenses (Source: Space Daily)
Russia is developing missiles designed to avoid being hit by
space-based missile defense systems that could be deployed by the
United States, a top Russian general was quoted as saying Monday.
"Development is now under way on the combat outfitting of missiles
whose flight falls outside the range of space-based missile defense
systems," Nikolai Solovtsov, the commander of Russia's missile forces,
told Interfax news agency. Solovtsov called the project a
countermeasure to what he described as US plans to deploy weapons in
space, according to Interfax. (12/2)
Russians Deploy New Military Spacecraft Into Orbit
(Source: SpaceFlightNow.com)
Russia launched a military
reconnaissance satellite Tuesday into an elliptical high-altitude orbit
from the country's Plesetsk spaceport. The four-stage Molniya-M rocket,
a modified version of the Soyuz booster, was likely carrying an
Oko-class early warning satellite to detect U.S. missile launches. Oko
satellites circle Earth in egg-shaped orbits with high points about
25,000 miles above the planet. (12/2)
Russia to Launch Two Telecom
Satellites in February (Source: RIA Novosti)
Russia will launch two telecom
satellites on February 11. The Express-AM44 and Express-MD1 spacecraft
have been built under the Russian Federal Space Program for 2006-2015,
and will be launched from the Baikonur spaceport in Kazakhstan by a Proton-M carrier
rocket with increased lifting power. (12/3)
India, Russia Sign Nuclear Energy, Space Deals (Source:
Space Daily)
India and Russia on Friday signed an agreement covering the building of
four new nuclear energy reactors in southern India, as well as a
cooperation accord on manned space flight. Russia becomes the third country
to sign an atomic energy agreement with India after a decision in
September by the Nuclear Suppliers Group to waive its ban on trade of
nuclear technology with India. (12/5)
India's Radar Imaging
Reconnaissance Satellite Planned by '09 (Source: The Statesman)
The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) will launch a Radar
Imaging Satellite (RIS) into orbit by the end of 2009. The satellite
will enable India and other Asian countries
to get images of any part of the world even during the monsoons and
after sunset. The satellite will also be helpful for security agencies
in the country to easily locate areas where terrorists carry out their
activities after sunset. (12/6)
India to Deploy Smaller Launchers for LEO Satellites
(Source: Domain-B)
The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) is building a smaller
launcher designed to put remote-sensing satellites, weighing less than
500kg, into low earth orbits (LEO). Such launchers will cost 40 percent
less than existing rockets. An orbit 400-500km above the earth is
designated as a low-earth orbit. Satellites launched into LEOs circle
the earth at shorter intervals than their heavier geo-synchronous
cousins and so can return to cover a specific point on the planet at
shorter intervals. Editor's note: Say what? (12/3)
Iran to Send Animals Into Space (Source: RIA Novosti)
Iran plans to send exploratory rockets into space with live animals on
board, paving the way for manned space flights, a space research
official said on Tuesday. Mohammad Ebrahimi, deputy head of Iran's Aerospace Research
Institute, said Iran plans to send Kavoshgar
(Explorer) 3 and 4 rockets into space in the near future. The Kavoshgar
2 was successfully launched on Wednesday. The rocket consisted of a
carrier, space-lab and restoration system. (12/2)
Vietnam to Build Space Technology Center (Source: VietNamNet)
A project to build a space technology research and development center
at the Hoa Lac Hi-tech Park, Hanoi is now being researched.
The total capital for this project totals US $350 million, coming from Japan's ODA sources. The
project will be implemented from now until 2017. The Hoa Lac Space Center will be built in the Hoa
Lac Hi-tech Park, 30 km from Hanoi's center. The center will
have a space technology operating zone, a small satellite assembly,
integration and testing zone, a planetarium, a research and training
zone and a ground station to receive data from satellites. Japanese
experts will help Vietnam manufacture a small
satellite and apply remote sensing technology to serve economic and
social development. (12/4)
Mitsubishi Wins ST-2 Satellite Contract (Source: Space
News)
Mitsubishi Electric Corp., fulfilling a long-held ambition, has won its
first order for a commercial satellite outside of Japan with the
contract to build the ST-2 telecommunications spacecraft for the joint
venture between SingTel of Singapore and Chunghwa Telecom Co. of
Taiwan, Tokyo-based Mitsubishi announced Dec. 2. (12/2)
Kazakhstan Admits Losing Satellite (Source: RIA Novosti)
Kazakhstan has lost its first
Kazsat-1 satellite, the head of the national space agency said. The
KazSat-1 satellite went completely out of control on Nov. 26 and has
not responded to any commands. That's it. It's gone," Talgat Musabayev
said. The $65 million satellite, Kazakhstan's first, stopped
broadcasting to the country's territory on June 8. Its Russian
manufacturer said in late October, however, the malfunctioning
satellite had been brought back into geostationary orbit. The
Khrunichev space research and production center said it had fixed the
problem together with Kazakh specialists earlier in October, and the
satellite would resume its regular operations once all of its systems
had been tested. (12/2)
Why Australia Should Have a Military
Space Policy
(Source: On Line Opinion)
The Senate Economics Committee has just released a report recommending
that Australia adopt a space policy. It
categorically states, "The Australian government should have a space
policy and, like most other comparable countries, an agency to
implement it". One of the interesting aspects of the report was its
comments on Australia and the militarization of
space. The Committee firmly "opposes any moves toward militarizing
space".
One may well argue that Australia should have a space
policy that looks favorably upon the militarization of space. A case
could be made for a two-pronged approach, namely developing indigenous
military intelligence and communication capabilities and supporting a
global arms control regime covering space. This would equate to support
for the militarization of space while opposing the weaponization of
space. The problem with the Senate Committee conclusion is the rather
muddled conceptual analysis upon which it is based. (12/1)
European Satellite Center Gains Access to European Recon Data
(Source: Space News)
France, Germany and Italy have agreed, for the first time, to give the
27-nation European Union (EU) both free and paid access to their
military observation satellites. The decision follows a years-long
effort by EU officials to open up closely guarded space-based
reconnaissance assets of its member nations. The EU Satellite Center,
which up to now has relied almost exclusively on imagery purchased on
the commercial market from U.S., Israeli, Canadian and other
non-European sources to assemble reports for EU military operations,
will have access to French Helios 2 optical imagery and radar data from
Italy's Cosmo-Skymed and Germany's SAR-Lupe satellite constellations.
(12/5)
ESA: The Odd Man Out (Source: Space Review)
A new European space policy calls for a greater military role for
civilian space entities like ESA. Taylor Dinerman states
that this puts Europe at odds with nations that
seek to differentiate civil and military space activities. Visit http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1260/1 to view the article.
(12/1)
Northrop CEO: Harness Technology to
Understand Climate Change (Source: AIA)
Northrop Grumman CEO Ronald Sugar writes that
existing technologies -- from satellites to submarines -- capture a
treasure trove of data for understanding and combating climate change.
"The missing piece is integration," he says. "If we leverage our many
sensors, integrate their climate data and tailor it for practical
applications, we can make this information more relevant to a larger
community. We can inspire innovation, establish effective mitigation
policies and sustainable practices, and create a knowledge base for
economic growth." (12/5)
Triana: Why Does the Bush
Administration Hate it So Much? (Source: What's New)
Three years ago while Congress was out of town for the Christmas break,
I heard NASA was quietly terminating Triana, a.k.a. DSCOVR. Could it be
because Al Gore's initials are on it? The $100 million observatory was
already built. It was meant to answer the most fundamental question of
climate science: what is the energy balance between solar radiation
falling on Earth and reflected or reradiated energy?
Global warming deniers all claim solar variation is the major factor in
global climate change. Is it? Well, Triana/DSCOVR is the only
experiment that can unequivocally answer that question. But I couldn't
find a single global warming denier who wanted it tested. So I wrote an
op-ed for the NY Times; but maybe nobody read it,
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/15/opinion/15park.html. It's still
timely; the NY Times should feel free to reprint it without change.
(12/5)
DSCOVR: A Dick Cheney Shotgun Blast Blinds the World
(Source: What's New)
The Nov 19 online Nature news, reported that the NASA reauthorization
bill ordered the agency to come up with a plan for DSCOVR. The article
quoted Francisco Valero of Scripps, the mission's principle
investigator, who estimated that it would take $117 million to
refurbish and launch DSCOVR. The Air Force offered to launch it, but
incredibly, only if all Earth observation equipment is removed.
This led me to wonder if there could be a national security reason. No,
Dick Cheney just doesn't want to hear about global warming. DeSmogBlog,
the best of the environmental blogs, quotes an unnamed source within
NASA who spoke on the condition of anonymity, saying Cheney was the
hatchet man, intent from the beginning on killing DSCOVR, and keeping
Bush's fingerprints off the axe. And why did I have to learn about this
from a UK science magazine and a
Canadian blog? The only major U.S. paper that mentioned it
was the Houston Chronicle. (12/5)
Odd Comet Possibly from Another Star System (Source:
Space.com)
The bizarre chemical make-up of a comet suggests the blob of ice is an
interloper, possibly flung into our solar system from beyond,
astronomers now say, adding that the wacky comet is forcing them to
create a new category for such objects. The comet, called Machholz 1,
was discovered in 1986 by Donald Machholz of Loma Prieta, Calif. Since then, the icy
denizen has made a few appearances, including one in 2007. "A large
fraction of comets in our own solar system have escaped into
interstellar space, so we expect that many comets formed around other
stars would also have escaped," said David Schleicher, a planetary
astronomer at Lowell Observatory in Arizona. "Some of these will have
crossed paths with the sun, and Machholz 1 could be an interstellar
interloper." (12/2)
World 'Must Tackle Space Threat' (Source: BBC)
The international community must work together to tackle the threat of
asteroids colliding with Earth, a leading UN scientist says. Professor
Richard Crowther's comments come as a group of space experts called for
a coordinated science-led response to the asteroid threat. The
Association of Space Explorers (ASE) says missions to
intercept asteroids will need global approval. The UN will meet in
February to discuss the issue. In the ASE report, the group of
scientists and former astronauts point to the historical record to
highlight the dangers of asteroids; an impact 65 million years ago may
have wiped out the dinosaurs, and the Tunguska impact in 1908 produced a
2,000 sq km fire in Siberia, big enough to engulf a
city the size of New York. (12/2)
NASA Sets May Launch Date For Hubble Repair Mission (Source: Space News)
Space Shuttle Atlantis' mission to repair the Hubble Space Telescope
has been rescheduled for May 12,
2009.
The Hubble servicing crew plans to fly an 11-day mission and stage five
spacewalks to overhaul the 18-year-old space telescope for the fifth
and final time. The mission was delayed in September when a data
handling unit on the telescope failed. A spare Science Instrument
Command and Data Handling System is expected to be shipped to NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida in spring 2009. (12/5)
European Students Find Planet Outside Our Solar System
(Source: Space.com)
Three undergraduate students at a Netherlands university have
discovered a large planet orbiting a fast-rotating star. Extrasolar
planet discoveries like this have become common, but this one is
unusual both for who found it and the type of star it orbits. "It is
exciting not just to find a planet, but to find one as unusual as this
one; it turns out to be the first planet discovered around a
fast-rotating star, and it's also the hottest star found with a
planet," said one of the planet's discoverers, Meta de Hoon of Leiden University in The Netherlands. The
planet, which is about five times as massive as Jupiter, circles its
host star every 2.5 days. It lies at only three percent of the
Earth-sun distance from its star, making it very hot and much larger
than many other planets. (12/4)
The Hunt for Habitable Planets (Source: Science News)
Here and now, a new suite of small telescopes are poised to look for
Earthlike planets beyond the solar system. For years, planet hunters
have been preoccupied with hot Jupiters---giant, gaseous planets that
tightly hug their sunlike parent stars. These massive, close-in
planets, not yet directly seen, are the easiest to find because they
induce the largest wobble in the motion of the stars they orbit. But
now astronomers are following a rockier road--seeking rocky, icy planets
only a few times as massive as Earth. Soon, astronomers predict, they
will discover an Earth-sized planet that orbits within the habitable
zone of its parent star. And if David Charbonneau has any say about it,
that historic find will come from eight tiny telescopes his team has
just finished assembling at the Fred Lawrence Whipple Observatory on Mount Hopkins in Arizona. (12/5)
Hunting New Earths and the Edge of the Universe (Source:
New Scientist)
Last month, we got our best ever view of planets orbiting nearby stars.
Though this is a great achievement, the planets are much bigger than
Jupiter and are in orbits that range from 24 to 119 astronomical units
(AU), where one AU equals the distance between Earth and the sun. The
dream is to be able to see planets as small and as close to their host
star as Earth is to the sun. That requires a telescope that can see
objects nearly 3000 times smaller than those seen last month, and one
that is not blinded by the host star's light - feats that are not
possible with even the largest telescope today, the 10.4-metre Gran
Telescopio Canarias in Spain's Canary Islands.
But in less than a decade, a trio of gigantic telescopes will be able
to carry off the task with ease. The 24.5-metre Giant Magellan
Telescope (GMT), the accurately named
Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) and the 42-metre European Extremely Large
Telescope (E-ELT) will each collect enough
light from these extrasolar planets to allow astronomers to study the
composition of their atmospheres using spectroscopy. (12/5)
Search for Alien Engineering Comes Up Dry - So Far
(Source: New Scientist)
A search for colossal feats of alien engineering called 'Dyson spheres'
has so far found no convincing candidates within 1000 light years of
Earth. But some say the prospects for finding the hypothetical
structures, which could cocoon stars in order to collect solar energy
for power-hungry aliens, may be getting brighter. The search for
extraterrestrial intelligence is focused largely on detecting signals
sent from afar. But in 1960, physicist Freeman Dyson proposed a way to
directly search for artifacts of alien civilizations.
Dyson envisioned that population pressure and the demand for energy
would drive civilizations to dismantle planets and use the debris to
surround a star, creating a massive solar collector. A number of Dyson
sphere structures have been proposed, including a solid, rotating ring
and a spherical shell of debris. These structures might be habitable
themselves, or they might be used as remote solar power collectors. The
structures would partially or fully block the star's visible and
ultraviolet light, but they would still be detectable. A Dyson sphere
or ring would be warmed by the star's energy and would radiate infrared
light that could be detected from Earth. (12/5)
Why I Hope There's No Life on Mars (Source: Popular
Mechanics)
I hope that Mars is as dead as a doornail. Even deader, since most
doornails, in fact, harbor bacterial life. Dead as the moon, then. Why
am I such a spoilsport? Because life on Mars would make life on Earth a
lot more complicated. First, imagine that there's no life on Mars. That
means we can go there, as we did on lunar missions, with no serious
worries about bringing back deadly germs.
If Mars is equally lifeless, that will make exploring--and later
settling--the planet much easier. We can go there and return without
this particular worry, and we can introduce Earth life without concerns
that we'll damage indigenous creatures. Astronauts won't have to be
quarantined, and the environmental impact statement, or its
interplanetary equivalent, will be easier to determine. On the other
hand, if there is life on Mars, things get a lot tougher. (12/3)
NASA Delays Mars Mission to 2011 (Source: AP)
NASA is delaying launch of a giant Mars robotic mission that is
hundreds of millions of dollars over budget. The Mars Science
Laboratory was scheduled to fly next year but will be postponed until
2011. The project has been dogged by cost increases and technical
challenges, and the delay could add $400 million to the price tag,
which is likely to top $2 billion. "Trying for '09 would require us to
assume too much risk, more than I think is appropriate for a flagship
mission," said NASA Administrator Michael Griffin. (12/4)
Mars Mission Delay Will Cost Other Mars and Planetary Missions
(Source: Space News)
A two-year delay in launching NASA's Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) rover will divert $400
million from future planetary missions and underscores the NASA's need
to partner with its European counterpart on Mars exploration, said
NASA's associate administrator for science. MSL's price tag has soared
since it was proposed in 2000 as a $600 million mission. By the time
the program was confirmed in 2006, its budget had swelled to $1.6
billion. NASA now expects MSL to cost $2.2 billion to
$2.3 billion, about $200 million more than NASA would have spent
rushing to make the 2009 window. (12/5)
China, Russia to Send Probes to Mars Next Year (Source:
Reuters)
China will team up with Russia to launch two satellite probes to take
pictures of Mars and one of its small moons in October next year as it
seeks to cement its place in the select ranks of global space powers. A
Chinese-built probe will piggy-back on a Russian-built rocket which
would also be carrying a Russian satellite, the Beijing News said,
quoting a Chinese lead designer on the project. The Chinese probe,
called "Yinghuo 1," would "carry two cameras to take photos of Mars and
Phobos (Mars 1)". The two countries' satellites would travel together
for 11 months, with the Chinese probe powered by Russia's, before separating on
entering Mars' orbit. (12/5)
Why Return to the Moon? (Source: NASA)
Visit http://www.lpi.usra.edu/meetings/leagilewg2008/presentations/oct28am/hale.pdf for a recent presentation
by NASA explaining the rationale for exploring the Moon. (12/5)
UK Lunar Satellite Mission Could Launch in 2014 (Source: CNET)
A United Kingdom-led mission to put a satellite in orbit around the
moon, potentially enabling lunar colonists to use mobile phones to
communicate with each other, has inched a step closer to blastoff. The British National Space Center has announced that it
will undertake a technical-feasibility study of the MoonLITE, or Moon
Lightweight Interior and Telecom Experiment, mission. Depending on the
outcome of the study, the MoonLITE mission could launch by about 2014.
The plan for the mission is to put a satellite in orbit around the moon
for use as a telecommunications station, relaying data from a network
of geophysical instruments on the moon's surface back to Earth. (12/5)
Canada Looks to Build Next
Moon Rover
(Source: Canwest)
Canada is quietly putting together a proposal to build NASA an
all-Canadian moon rover - a vehicle with a pressurized air cabin that
astronauts could use without wearing bulky helmets and air tanks. One
space industry executive says this could be Canada's next big area of
expertise after the Canadarms. There are at least three American lunar
rovers under development already. Now Ottawa's Neptec Design Group,
which is already testing a laser guidance system for an unmanned
American moon rover, is also leading a team designing a separate,
Canadian vehicle. (12/3)
Goodyear and NASA Successfully Recreate Original Moon Rover
Tire (Source: SpaceRef.com)
Goodyear and the NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC) recently completed a
jointly-funded project for the development and production of twelve
replicates of the original wire-mesh moon tire used on the Apollo Lunar
Roving Vehicle in the early 1970s. (12/3)
NASA Extends Russian Contract for Space Station Transport
Services (Source: NASA)
NASA has signed a $141 million modification to the current
International Space Station contract with the Russian Federal Space
Agency for crew transportation services planned through the spring of
2012. The extension covers comprehensive Soyuz support, including all
necessary training and preparation for launch, crew rescue, and landing
of a long-duration mission for three station crew members. The crew
members will launch on two Soyuz vehicles in the fall of 2011. They
will land in the spring of 2012. The flights may be used to meet NASA's
obligations to its international partners for transportation to and
from the station. (12/2)
Advanced Tech Investments Can Prevent Spaceflight Program Cost
Overruns (Source: Space Review)
One of NASA's major problems has been significant cost overruns on many
programs, an issue that has recently been described as a "cancer" on
the agency. John Mankins explains how this cancer can be prevented
through more investment in advanced technology research and
development. Visit http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1262/1 to view the article.
(12/1)
ATK Shuttle Booster Test
Yields Data for Ares 1 (Source: Space News)
Alliant Techsystems (ATK) Launch Systems Group
test fired a space shuttle solid rocket motor in the Utah desert Dec. 4. The
four-segment motor burned for a full two minutes, the same amount of
time each solid rocket booster burns during an actual shuttle launch. ATK and NASA said the purpose
of the test was to evaluate possible performance changes as shuttle
motors age and to collect acoustic measurements useful to the
development of Ares 1, a five-segment solid-fueled rocket ATK is helping NASA build to
launch the Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle on missions to the Moon.
(12/5)
Hubble Unlikely to Delay Ares (Source: Huntsville Times)
NASA's scheduling of the Hubble Space Telescope repair mission for
mid-May should not delay the first test flight of the Ares I-X, the
space agency's new rocket prototype, according to a spokeswoman for
Marshall Space Flight Center. Marshall is working to launch the
Ares I-X test flight from Florida no sooner than July 11.
Delays to the Hubble mission affect the Ares test flight because one of
the Kennedy Space Center's launch pads has to be
modified to support the Ares rocket, which is lighter and taller than
the space shuttle. (12/6)
Cult Spacecraft - Part One: X-20 (Source: SpaceDaily)
It's an odd feature of aerospace history that many prototype aircraft
that never went into production become "cultplanes". Cultplanes, like
the B-70 Valkyrie, have their own Web sites run by amateur enthusiasts
who take all the public relations hype from the designers as gospel
truth and ignore all the potential problems. They argue that if their
particular pet aircraft had been given a chance, history would have
been changed: Canada would still have an
aerospace industry, or supersonic airliners would be common, or the
Nazis would rule the world. Some of these sites have a strong paranoid
slant, claiming that the Holy Plane was sabotaged by the Sinister
Forces of U.S. Imperialism, International Communism, or the Established
Aerospace Corporations.
We Space Cadets have our own "Cult Spacecraft". The blogosphere is full
of ardent fans of ex-projects like X-20, X-30, DC-X, X-33, X-34, X-38
etc. who are convinced that their particular favorite would have been
the key to cheap and reliable access to space if only the Sinister
Forces hadn't killed it. These cultists are constantly calling for one
of these dead projects to be revived as an alternative to the boring
multistage expendable boosters we are still using.
This way lies madness - or at least irrelevance. Most of these cult
programs were technically impossible. They often had severe political
and management problems as well, but the main reasons for their failure
were fundamental laws of physics, aerodynamics, and engineering that
haven't changed today and never will. Trying to revive them is wasted
effort that only makes the space advocacy community look technically
illiterate and reduces its credibility. Witness the X-20 Dyna-Soar.
Click here to view the article.
(12/3)
PPP Model Mooted for Cheaper
Space Travel
(Source: Business Standard)
Space exploration, which is mostly research and development, needs a
very small number of vehicles. As a result, when it comes in space
exploration, the cost per head is very high. Hence, you have space
tourists now shelling out some $200,000 for traveling into space. On
the other hand, more vehicles would be required for space tourism and
hence, costs would be driven down.
For sustainable space exploration, there should be minimum of tax
funding and maximum of private funding. Hence, scientists and those
keen on space exploration and those mooting space tourism are mooting
public-private partnership model to make space travel and space
exploration more inclusive. In future, with experts speaking of some
five launches every day, the cost of travel could be down to just
around $10,000 per head for one trip to space and back.
Outer space should not be a monopoly of the state, to ensure we are
able to bring down the cost of space travel, said Susmita Mohanty,
managing partner, Earth2Orbit (E2O), which operates in this
supply-demand environment by allocating launch demand to launch supply.
E2O is in nascent stage of working on a space tourism programme.
Through its partnership with Antrix, the marketing arm of the Indian
Space Research Organization (ISRO), E2O offers access to frequent
orbital launches. (12/1)
TAAS Proposes Safe, Economical and Versatile Space Flight
Vehicle (Source: Space Fellowship)
The idea behind the TAAS design is that an escape vehicle leaves the
parent vehicle behind in the case of an emergency, it does this in
conjunction with multiple plug-in devices and one mechanical release
which allows the EV to slide forward and un-plug from the parent
vehicle. Air-bags can provide positive separation forces. "After
separation, the EV (which is designed to fly at higher dynamic
pressures than the parent vehicle) will naturally pitch down and
accelerate. Releasing the forward weight of the EV will cause the
parent vehicle to be out of balance. Click here to view the design.
(12/5)
Armadillo Collects Check For Lander Challenge (Source:
Space News)
Armadillo Aerospace, the first winner in the Northrop Grumman Lunar
Lander Challenge, was given a check for $350,000 during a Dec. 5
ceremony at NASA headquarters in Washington. The Texas-based company
designed and built a space vehicle in October that demonstrated its
ability to rise to a height of 50 meters, fly to a landing pad 100
meters away and hover for 90 seconds before landing. The competition
was held at Las Cruces International Airport in New Mexico. (12/5)
Blue Origin Offers
Suborbital Research Opportunities (Source: Blue Origin)
Blue Origin is developing New Shepard, a rocket-propelled vehicle
designed to routinely fly multiple astronauts into suborbital space at
competitive prices. In addition to providing the public with
opportunities to experience spaceflight, New Shepard will also provide
frequent opportunities for researchers to fly experiments into space
and a microgravity environment. The New Shepard vehicle will consist of
a pressurized Crew Capsule (CC) carrying experiments and astronauts
atop a reliable Propulsion Module (PM). Flights will take place from
Blue Origin's own launch site, which is already operating in West Texas.
New Shepard will take-off vertically and accelerate for approximately
two and a half minutes before shutting off its rocket engines and
coasting into space. The vehicle will carry rocket motors enabling the
Crew Capsule to escape from the PM in the event of a serious anomaly
during launch. In space, the Crew Capsule will separate from the PM and
the two will reenter and land separately for re-use. The Crew Capsule
will land softly under a parachute at the launch site. Astronauts and
experiments will experience no more than 6 g acceleration into their
seats and a 1.5 g lateral acceleration during a typical flight.
High-quality microgravity environments (<10-3 g) will be achieved
for durations of 3 or more minutes, depending on the mission
trajectory. Click here for
details. (12/7)
UP Aerospace: Indie Space Ventures Blast Off (Source: CNN
Money)
There's not much to see at the future home of Spaceport America, touted as ground zero
for commercial rocket traffic. Deep in the New Mexico desert, you'll find
shrubs, scorpions - and Jerry Larson. His company, Up Aerospace, has
signed on as the first tenant of the $220 million spaceport, where
construction will begin in 2009. The private space industry pulsates
with wannabes who have launched little more than press releases, but
Larson is that rare entrepreneur who has actually sent a rocket into
space - and figured out how to make it pay. In 2009, Larson expects to
turn his first profit on revenues of nearly $1 million, a considerable
increase from his hobbyist income of $300,000 in 2007. Click here
to view the article. (12/4)
Reaction Engine Continues Quest for Affordable SSTO
(Sources: Parabolic Arc, HobbySpace)
UK-based Reaction Engine's efforts to build its Skylon spaceplane are
progressing with critical engine technology tests upcoming. "The Skylon
spaceplane will enable single stage to orbit delivery of payloads with
aircraft like operations. The key to realising this goal is a combined
cycle engine that can operate both in airbreathing and pure rocket
modes. To achieve this new low mass structure concepts and several new
engine technologies need to be proven. An extensive program of
technology development has addressed these issues with very positive
results. This now allows the project to proceed to the final concept
proving stage before full development commences." (12/6)
SpaceX Rocket Engine Disassembly Delayed in Texas (Source:
KWTX)
The Central Texas weather has delayed disassembly of the rocket stage
whose late-night test two weeks ago rattled windows and startled
residents over a large area of the region. The rocket is scheduled for
shipment to Cape Canaveral for an upcoming Falcon 9
launch next year. SpaceX was scheduled to begin disassembling stage
around 5 a.m. Wednesday. But high winds
in the area prevented workers from climbing the tower to begin the
project. (12/3)
SpaceX Adds DragonLab Launches to Florida Manifest
(Source: SpaceX)
SpaceX announces the addition of two DragonLab missions to its
manifest, as a result of demand from a successful workshop held at
SpaceX headquarters on Nov. 6 to introduce the new DragonLab product.
The first two flights are scheduled for 2010 and 2011 respectively from
the SpaceX Falcon 9 launch site at the Cape Canaveral Spaceport.
DragonLab is a free-flying, reusable spacecraft capable of hosting
pressurized and unpressurized payloads to and from space. It is the
newest commercial offering from SpaceX. DragonLab launches to orbit
aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 launch vehicle. (12/2)
Launch and Payload Providers Asked to Complete Space Florida
Survey (Source: Space Florida)
As build-out preparations begin for Launch Complex 36 at the Cape
Canaveral Spaceport, commercial launch and payload providers interested
in launching from Florida are being asked to complete a quick survey on
Space Florida's Website (www.spaceflorida.gov). The information
gathered from potential customers will be used to develop the build out
plan for the launch complex, which is expected to be ready for
operation by fall 2010. Launch Complex 36 will be able to accommodate a
variety of vehicle sizes and may support commercial, civil and/or
military launches.
"As we develop Launch Complex 36, we want to ensure we're considering
the unique needs of potential customers," noted Mark Bontrager, Space Florida's Vice President of
Spaceport Operations. "This pad will be customized to suit launch and
payload providers to ensure they are able to achieve their goals as
quickly and cost-effectively as possible." Space Florida requests responses to the
survey by Dec. 16. (12/3)
Mixed Messages From NASA on Parabolic Flight Commercialization
(Source: NASA Watch)
Although NASA's Mike Griffin has announced that NASA is moving 100% of
their parabolic flights from their own aircraft to Zero-G's 727", the
agency has released a solicitation notice on Dec. 5 from JSC which
states "The Aircraft Operations Division (AOD) currently uses a DC-9
aircraft to support the Reduced Gravity Program at the Johnson Space
Center. The members of the Division's aircrew, who fly the DC-9, have
all completed the required DC-9 initial transition training. The
objective is to acquire DC-9 aircrew refresher training. This training
shall thoroughly cover aircraft systems, operational procedures,
normal/abnormal procedures, and systems integration for the DC-9
aircraft." (12/6)
Congressional Quibbling Freezes TRDA's SATOP (Source: New
Mexico Business Weekly)
A federally funded program that has benefited hundreds of small New
Mexico businesses has fallen victim to congressional backlash against
earmarks. The Space Alliance Technology Outreach Program (SATOP) --
funded since 2001 by Congress through the National Aeronautics and
Space Administration (NASA) -- lost its annual $4 million appropriation
in the fiscal year 2008 budget because of bickering over earmarks, said
Paul Secor, director of technology transfer at the Florida-based
Technological Research and Development Authority.
TRDA is subcontracted by NASA to administer the national SATOP program,
which offers stipends to universities, national laboratories and
private sector partners to provide free technical assistance to small
businesses. TRDA divides the annual funding among four regional centers
in New Mexico, New York, Texas and Florida, with New Mexico receiving about $400,000
a year. (12/5)
Space Technology Incubation in Colorado (Source: SSTI)
Serving as a virtual home to companies developing space-derived
technologies, the 8th Continent Aerospace Business Incubator opened at
the Colorado School of Mines last month. The incubator provides
resources such as access to capital and management advisory services
for companies working directly on commercialization efforts from the
Space Program. Visit http://www.8cproject.com for information. (12/3)
Big Island Could Take Lead in Space
Projects
(Source: Honolulu Advertiser)
The Big Island may become the center of the universe for U.S. space projects. At least
that is the vision of the director of a space research program at the University of Hawaii at Hilo. Frank Schowengerdt,
director of Pacific International Space Center for Exploration Systems,
or PISCES, said the Big Island is the ideal spot on
Earth for kick-starting NASA's plans to put men and women on the moon
and Mars permanently. "We're going back (to the moon) and we're going
back to stay by 2018 or 2020," he said. "We want a permanent presence
on the moon and PISCES has a permanent place on the Big Island." (12/1)
Out-of-This-World Ideas in Arizona (Source: Arizona
Republic)
Arizona students descended on ASU West on Monday to compete in the 10th
Honeywell Fiesta Bowl Aerospace Challenge for a chance to win an
appearance at the 38th Annual Tostitos Fiesta Bowl and a trip to the
Johnson Space Center in Houston. Fifth- through eighth-graders brought
in their best and most creative models of a new-generation
International Space Station. The models feature solar panels,
recreation rooms with basketball courts and hydroponic chambers for
growing food. (12/2)
Virginia Aerospace
Business Roundtable Planned (Source: Spaceports Blog)
The Virginia Aerospace Business Roundtable is now being organized with
the assistance of the Virginia Aerospace Advisory Council appointed by
Governor Tim Kaine last year. The group hopes to attract corporate,
academic, and individual members from throughout the state interested
in aerospace-related business. Aerospace Days will be held February 4
and 5 in Richmond to market the sector to
the Virginia General Assembly legislators while endeavoring to organize
the Virginia Aerospace Business Roundtable similar to that in Maryland. The Legislature has
passed studies and commercial space flight legislation and offered
millions of dollars in bonds to build a new commercial launch pad in
2009. (12/4)
Spaceport Sheboygan 'Power Lunch' Dec. 11 (Source: Sheboygan Press)
A "power lunch" is planned for Dec. 11, at the site of Spaceport
Sheboygan --the former Armory. James Testwuide, chairman of the Great Lakes Aerospace Science & Education Center, will be the featured
speaker. He will discuss the creation of the science and education
center in Sheboygan. He has been instrumental
in pushing this project forward and has worked with retired astronauts,
community leaders and other dignitaries to develop plans for Spaceport.
(12/6)
Groups Collaborate on Experiments for Orbital Spaceflight
Clients (Source: AAA)
American Aerospace Advisors and Space Adventures will collaborate on
providing space-specific scientific experiment and research project
opportunities that will be made available to Space Adventures' orbital
spaceflight clients. "We hope to expand access to space for the many
projects that are ready for spaceflight. These projects have real
scientific and commercial merit, and some have the potential to result
in significant technical breakthroughs...we plan to include as many
university student experiments as possible," said AAA's president.
The projects available through the collaboration will encompass a wide
array of research areas that are of current interest to academic and
industrial researchers, including space-based solar power studies and
demonstrations, microgravity applications, spacecraft technology
development, Earth observation, remote sensing, lunar exploration
systems development, and educational initiatives. All experiments
offered under the program will be reviewed by a panel of experts for
solid scientific and commercial merit. Click here for information. (12/3)
Florida Athlete Surgery Center Courts Space Tourists
(Source: Florida Today)
A surgical center in the Florida Panhandle known for restoring the
otherworldly skills of sports superstars wants to prepare would-be
space tourists for their otherworldly voyages. The Andrews Institute
for Orthopedics and Sports Medicine in Gulf Breeze plans to announce
its personal and medical training program for space tourists this
afternoon. The institute, founded by renowned sports surgeon James
Andrews, is partnering with Space Florida, which coordinates Florida's space-related
enterprises. (12/4)
NASA Trains Pilots to Fly High (Source: AFNS)
To achieve their dreams of space flight, NASA astronauts must overcome
many challenges -- challenges they can only receive at one place.
Whether they are a pilot, navigator or mission specialist, Ellington Field, Texas, is the proving ground
where astronauts earn their "wings" through the expert guidance of Air
Force experience. Most of the training astronauts receive at Ellington
Field is led by former Airmen.
Astronauts training at Ellington Field must become familiar with a wide
variety of aircraft. The aircraft includes the T-38 Talon, primarily
used for pilot and navigator training; the G-2, a modified aircraft
used to teach pilots how to actually land the space shuttle; the C-9,
used for zero-gravity training; and a modified Boeing 747, used to
carry the space shuttle. (12/4)
China's Future Astronauts Will Be Scientists, Not Pilots,
Official Says (Source: Xinhua)
China will select future astronauts from the ranks of scientists rather
than military pilots, a top-level engineer for the country's manned
space program said. "China's manned space project
will start setting up space laboratories and stations after 2012, and
by that time scientists will be needed for a large number of
experiments in space," said Zhang Jianqi, deputy chief commander of China's manned space project.
So far, most Chinese astronauts have been former People's Liberation
Army pilots. (12/4)
U.S. Firm Planning Space Theme
Parks in Gulf Region (Source: World Tribune)
The United States is planning the development of space centers in the Middle East. The U.S. Space and Rocket Center has been working with
entities in the Gulf and North Africa for the establishment of
space centers. The centers were meant to attract tourists interested in
space and aviation. Organizers said the first space center would be
established in the United Arab Emirates. The Dubai-based Space
Investment Co. has signed an agreement with the UAE's Ras Al Khaimah
government to build a $100 million space center in the emirate. The
center was expected to eventually attract one million visitors per
year. (12/1)
O'Brien Out at CNN as Network Ends Space Mission (Source: Reuters)
CNN will close its dedicated unit that covered environmental, science
and space stories. The cuts affect about five staffers, including
longtime correspondent and space reporter Miles O'Brien, who will leave
the network. O'Brien has worked at CNN for 17 years, during which time
he covered Space Shuttle launches and anchored or co-anchored various
shows. CNN executives said it didn't make sense to have the unit as
well as a "Planet in Peril" division that covers many of the same
topics.
"We want to integrate environmental, science and technology reporting
into the general editorial structure rather than have a stand-alone
unit," a CNN spokeswoman said Wednesday. "Now that the bulk of our
environmental coverage is being offered through the 'Planet in Peril'
franchise, which is produced by the ('Anderson Cooper 360') program,
there is no need for a separate unit." (12/3)
With Vintage Satellites Still in Orbit, Sales are Grounded
(Source: Los Angeles Times)
If only cars could last so long. This month, a satellite resembling a
shiny spinning drum and orbiting 21,156 miles above Earth celebrated
its 41st birthday, astounding engineers and scientists, some of them
the children of those who built it. For years, the satellite has served
as an emergency communications link for rescue operations, including
the 1985 Mexico City earthquake and the 1980
Mt. St. Helens volcanic eruption. It was supposed to live for only
three years when it was launched in 1967.
But the spacecraft, known as ATS 3, isn't alone. Many
satellites are operating well past their life expectancy, so much so
that manufacturers are hurting from lack of demand for new, replacement
satellites. And those who are buying are asking for guarantees that the
new satellites, which can cost as much as $300 million each, will last
two to three times as long as the early birds. 'It's a mixed blessing,'
said John S. Edwards, a space industry analyst for Forecast
International. 'It says great things about your product, but the
satellite-making business is floundering because there are hardly any
sales.' (12/1)
NASA Selects Lockheed Martin for GOES-R Development
(Source: NASA)
NASA, in coordination with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration has selected Lockheed Martin to build the next series of
weather satellites for NOAA's Geostationary Operational Environmental
Satellites, or GOES-R, Program. The basic contract is for two
spacecraft. Two options each provide for one additional spacecraft. The
total estimated value of the basic contract including options is $1.09
billion. (12/2)
Alliant Gets $26 Million Air Force Contract (Source: AP)
Alliant Techsystems has received a $26.1 million Air Force contract for
work on a system that can be used to simulate space. The system, known
as the Space Threat Assessment Testbed, is expected to allow agencies
such as the Defense Department and the National Reconnaissance Office
to test equipment in an environment simulating orbits around the Earth.
Alliant Techsystems says the system can also be used to evaluate
responses to man-made threats from space. Work on the project will be
performed at ATK facilities in Utah, Tennessee and California. The work is expected to
be finished by 2013. (12/1)
Orbitec Seeking Investors for Expansion (Source: Journal
Sentinel)
Wisconsin's Orbital Technologies
Corp. (Orbitec) is seeking investors to embark on its next stage of
expansion. "We have products and technologies that are ready to
launch," said Thomas M. Crabb, president of the privately held
aerospace group. Orbitec started off mainly with propulsion, rockets
and robotics technologies and strong ties to NASA. In more recent
years, its investments in R&D have yielded so many diverse
spin-offs that it reorganized itself in October into five separate
operating groups. Each of the five has applications that are ripe for
commercialization, Crabb said. "We're taking the top of our R&D
crop that have potential in the marketplace and investing in them so
they become accepted into the market," Crabb said. (12/2)
Judge Rules Nowak's Interrogation Not Admissable (Source: ABC News)
An attorney for Lisa Nowak, the former NASA astronaut awaiting trial on
kidnapping and other charges, is cheering today's partial court victory
for his client. The three-person 5th Circuit Court of Appeals in Florida upheld a lower court
ruling barring use of a taped interrogation of Nowak by police at her
trial. It is a mixed victory, however, because the court also ruled
that evidence found in Nowak's car after her arrest can be introduced
by the prosecution in court. Even so, Don Lykkebak, an attorney for
Nowak, suggested that she sees the decision as a way to move forward
with her case. (12/5)
Mmmmm...Space Beer (Source: Parabolic Arc)
Japanese beer-lovers can anticipate an out-of-this-world brew: suds
made with barley descended from grains that traveled in outer space.
The "space beer," to be test-brewed by Sapporo Breweries Ltd., will
come in a pilot edition of 100 bottles to be ready in November, said
company spokeswoman Momoko Matsumura. The beer will be made with barley
-- to be harvested this weekend -- descended from seeds that spent five
months in 2006 aboard the International Space Station. (12/3)
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Last Week's DOD
Contract Awards in California
Charles Stark Draper
Laboratories,
Cambridge, Mass., is being awarded a
$157,342,752 cost plus incentive fee, cost plus fixed fee contract for
services supporting the TRIDENT II (D-5) weapons system. The services
provided will encompass the following: provide specialized tactical
engineering services, logistics services, fleet support services, and
guidance repair services to test, repair and maintain guidance
subsystems, test equipment, and related support equipment; perform
research in the application of technologies to support TRIDENT II (D-5)
Guidance and Reentry Systems; perform failure verification, test,
repair and re-certification of Inertial Measurement Units P/N 5807000,
Electronic Assemblies P/N 6285900, electronic modules and MK 6 Guidance
System related components; perform design, analysis and test of service
life related upgrades of Inertial Measurement Units P/N 5807000,
Electronic Assemblies P/N 6285900, electronic modules and MK 6 Guidance
System related components. Work will be performed in Cambridge, Mass. (72 percent); Pittsfield, Mass. (21 percent); Clearwater, Fla. (3 percent); El Segundo, Calif. (3 percent); and Andover, Mass. (1 percent), and work is
expected to be completed Sept.
30, 2009. Contract funds in the
amount of $91,211,276 will expire at the end of the current fiscal
year. This contract was not competitively procured. Strategic Systems
Programs, Arlington, Va., is the contracting
activity.
The Air Force is modifying
a cost plus award fee contract with Northrop Grumman Missile
System, San Jose, Calif. for $24,996,865. This
action will extend the baseline contract to accommodate Global Hawk
flight testing. At this time the entire amount has been obligated.
AFMC, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio is the contracting
activity.
Thales Raytheon Systems,
Fullerton, Calif., was awarded on Dec 4, 2008 a, $5,586,627 firm fixed
price contract. The work consists of maintenance dredging in Charleston Harbor, upper reaches and Pier
PAPA, Coast Guard Pier. Work will be performed in Charleston Harbor, Charleston County, S.C., with an estimated
completion date of June 30,
2009.
Bids solicited were via the Web and two bids were received. Corp of
Engineer/Charleston District, Charleston, S.C., is the contracting
activity.
Thales Raytheon Systems,
Fullerton, Calif., was awarded on Dec. 4, 2008, a $48,585,028 firm fixed
price contract. Award of a production buy for spare parts to support
AN/TPQ-36(V) and AN/TPQ-37(V) FITEFINDER Radar Systems. Work will be
performed in Fullerton, Calif., with an estimated
completion date of May 1,
2012. Bids solicited were via Sole Source and one bid was
received. CECOM Acquisition Center, Fort Monmouth, N.J., is the contracting
activity.
Engineering Remediation
Resources Group, Inc., Concord, Calif.; Sealaska
Environmental Services LLC, San Diego, Calif.; and AIS-TN&A
JV, Wilmington, Calif., are each being awarded a firm fixed price,
indefinite delivery indefinite quantity environmental multiple award
contract for environmental remediation services on Navy and Marine
Corps installations at various locations within the NAVFAC Southwest
area of responsibility (AOR). The maximum dollar
value for all three contracts combined is $50,000,000. The work to be
performed provides for environmental remedial actions; removal actions;
remedial design; expedited and emergency response actions; pilot and
treatability studies; remedial action systems operation and
maintenance; groundwater monitoring and other related activities
associated with returning sites to safe and acceptable levels of
contamination. Work under these contracts will be performed at various
sites within the NAVFAC Southwest AOR including, but not
limited to, Calif., (90 percent), Ariz., (4 percent), Nev., (3 percent), and N.M.,
(3 percent). Engineering Remediation Resources Group, Inc., is being
awarded the initial task order in the amount of $160,971 for
Installation Restoration Program work at Marine Corps Base Camp
Pendleton, Oceanside, Calif. Work for this task order
is expected to be completed by May 2010. The term of the contract is
not to exceed five years, with an expected completion date of Dec.
2013. Contract funds for task order 0001 will not expire at the end of
the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured under
the eight (a) Business Development Program via the Navy Electronic
Commerce Online website, with 14 proposals received. These three
contractors may compete for task orders under the terms and conditions
of the awarded contract. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command,
Southwest, San Diego, Calif., is the contracting
activity.
The Lockheed Martin
Space Systems Co., Space and Strategic Missiles, Sunnyvale, Calif., is being awarded
$720,086,268 modification (PZ0001) to previously awarded
cost-plus-incentive-fee, cost-plus-fixed-fee contract
(N00030-08-C-0100) to provide TRIDENT II (D5) and TRIDENT I (C4)
missile subsystem. Specific tasks may include: Missile body, re-entry
body, D5 instrumentation systems and support equipment production (D5
only); D5 Production Continuity Hardware (D5 only); Procurement of
components and requalification activities in support of D5 life
extension requirements; Critical components in support of D5 life
extension requirements; Field Processing; Engineering and operational
support services; Training material development and maintenance;
Trainer design and operational support; Spares and integrated logistics
support; Flight Test Analysis and Range Support; Safety Assurance
including Nuclear Weapon Security (NWS); Missile and support
equipment repair; Flight Test Planning and Flight Test Data Acquisition
and Processing (D5 only); Development, production and installation of
SPALTs/PADs/Sers [Special Projects Alterations, POMF (POLARIS Missile
Facility) Alteration Documents, and Support Equipment Requirements];
Develop and produce an Alteration Release Assembly; Develop an Enhanced
Telemetry System; Technical services in support of the C4/D5 Ballast
System and Test Instrumentation Mast program; Technical services in
support of all requirements associated with TRIDENT I(C4) related to
asset dispositions and disposal. In addition to TRIDENT II (D5), and
TRIDENT I (C4) missile subsystem requirements, there is also a
requirement to: Provide storage and maintenance for the Tomahawk Land
Attack Missile, Nuclear (TLAM-N) at the Strategic Weapons Facilities;
Perform processing and provide technical services in support of the
SSGN Attack Weapon System (AWS) at SWFLANT; Provide TRIDENT SWS Missile Training; Develop
technology applicable to global strike objectives that integrates with
existing TRIDENT missile and/or the platform, and the missile
processing and TRIDENT operations infrastructure; Provide Options for
Flight Test Data Acquisition and Analysis for the Air Force and the
Missile Defense Agency. Work will be performed in California
(42 percent); Georgia (11 percent); Utah (16 percent); Florida (9
percent); Washington (8 percent); Virginia (3 percent); Tennessee (2
percent); New Jersey (1 percent); Massachusetts (1 percent); Illinois
(1 percent); Maryland (1 percent); other (5 percent), and work is
expected to be completed September 2012. Contract funds in the amount
of $285,470,128 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The
Navy's Strategic Systems Programs, Arlington, Va., is the contracting
activity.
Lockheed Martin Space
Systems Co. (LMSSC), Sunnyvale, Calif., is being awarded a
$98,635,593 cost-plus-incentive-fee and award fee not-to exceed
contract modification to develop, integrate and test the red side
components of the Mobile User Objective System (MUOS) Common Air
Interface (CAI) waveform application to
form a fully functional Joint Tactical Radio System compliant waveform
application, version 3.x. Under contract
N00039-04-C-2009, LMSSC is responsible for the development and
production of the MUOS networked constellation, and the current MUOS CAI waveform effort, without
the red side components, is being performed by LMSSC and its
subcontractor General Dynamics, Scottsdale, Ariz. This additional
capability is required to provide a complete set of radio functions and
to eliminate the requirement for external cryptographic equipment for
secure MUOS communications. This effort is expected to be completed in
2011. This award is made on a sole source basis. The synopsis was
released via the Federal Business Opportunities Web site. The Space and
Naval Warfare Systems Command, San Diego, Calif., is the contracting
activity.
McDonnell Douglas Corp., St. Louis, Mo., is being awarded a
$95,000,000 delivery order under a previously awarded Performance Based
Logistics contract for spares in support of the E/A-18 G Growler. Work
will be performed in St. Louis, Mo. (40 percent), and El Segundo, Calif. (60 percent), and work is
expected to be completed by September 2011. Contract funds will not
expire before the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Inventory
Control Point is the contracting activity.
Northrop Grumman
Electronic Systems-Marine Systems (NGES-MS), Sunnyvale, Calif., is being awarded a
$67,687,769 firm-fixed-price, fixed-price-incentive,
cost-plus-fixed-fee completion contract to provide for the acquisition
of the TRIDENT II (D-5) deployed SSBN and the SSGN Underwater Launcher
Systems (ULS), Engineering Refueling Overhaul (ERO) shipyard support,
gas generator production, TRIDENT II (D-5) missile tube closure
production restart, US and UK launcher trainer support, underwater
launcher technology sustainment (ULTS), SSGN Ancillary Hardware,
Underwater Launcher System Ancillary Hardware, Launcher Initiation
System Ancillary Hardware, Underwater Launcher Subsystem Technology
Support, Vertical Support Group-E mount advance procurement and US and
UK SSP Alterations (SPALT) and
non-compliance report (NCR) projects.
This contract contains options, which if exercised, would
increase the total contract value $156,196,862. Work
will be performed in Sunnyvale, Calif. (86 percent); Bangor, Wash. (7 percent); Kings Bay, Ga. (7 percent), and work is
expected to be completed September 2011. Contract funds in the amount
of $35,529,097 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This
contract was not competitively procured. The Navy's Strategic Systems
Programs, Arlington, Va., is the contracting
activity.
Science Applications
International Corp., San Diego, Calif., is being awarded a
$10,779,079 modification to a previously awarded cost-plus-fixed-fee
contract (N00421-05-C-0026) to exercise an option for technical,
engineering, and program services in support of the
Tomahawk-All-Up-Round Missile Program for the U.S. Navy ($9,701,171; 90
percent) and the United Kingdom ($1,077,908; 10 percent). Work will be
performed in Lexington Park, Md., (85 percent); Patuxent River, Md. (10
percent); and other locations within the United States (5 percent), and
is expected to be completed in November 2009. Contract funds in the
amount of $479,000 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year.
The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting
activity.
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