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August
31, 2009
NASA Budget Changes Pending Decisions on Alternatives (Source: Space
News)
Obama is not expected to significantly boost the projected funding profile
for NASA's manned spaceflight program...according to sources with ties to the
administration. Instead, officials are scrubbing NASA's 2010 budget proposal,
and the assumptions made by the Augustine Panel, for potential cost savings
over the next decade. Some sources familiar with the administration's
thinking say the agency should not expect any more than an extra $1 billion
for manned exploration. Even though the future of Orion and Ares 1 remain uncertain,
sources close to the administration say the latter is likely to meet the
budget ax in favor of an alternative launcher. Likewise, Orion could be
vulnerable if a safe, reliable commercial option for crew transport to the
space station could be quickly developed. (8/24)
NASA Budget Outlook Still Uncertain (Source: Space Policy Online)
As everyone anticipates the final report of the Augustine committee, NASA's
FY2010 budget awaits action in Congress and the FY2011 budget request is
being formulated. Although Congress Daily reported earlier this month that
the appropriations bill that includes NASA (Commerce, Justice, Science) could
be among the first action items for the Senate when it returns in September,
Space News reported today in its print edition that "The White House is
expected to submit an amended 2010 budget request for NASA's exploration
program by mid-September..." Nothing is impossible, but it would seem
odd for the Senate to move an appropriations bill to the floor if an Administration
amendment is expected imminently. (8/25)
White House Budget Guidance for FY-2011 Highlights Space (Source:
Space Policy Online)
The White House guidance regarding the FY2011 budget formulation process for
science and technology specifically notes the importance of the space
program. After listing four "practical challenges," the August 4
memo from OMB and OSTP identifies four requirements for addressing them. The
fourth is: "Enhancing our capabilities in space, which are essential for
communications, geopostioning, intelligence gathering, Earth observation, and
national defense, as well as for increasing our understanding of the universe
and our place in it." The extent to which the latter goal is dependent
on human space exploration rather than robotic is open to interpretation. At
the very least, there is no indication that the White House lacks an
appreciation of the space program's potential. The question is whether it
will provide the money needed to realize it. (8/25)
Editorial: NASA Needs Stability and
Resources
(Source: Houston Chronicle)
As space shuttle astronauts, each of us has sat high atop a magnificent
U.S.-built space ship loaded with 1.6 million pounds of liquid hydrogen and
oxygen, waiting for the shuttle's solid rocket motors and engines to ignite
and propel us from zero to 17,500 miles per hour into orbit around the Earth.
We understand the importance and significance of having a safe and
well-funded space program, as we personally accepted the risk worth taking
with every mission. With each flight, we entrusted our lives to experienced,
innovative men and women on the ground, dedicated to our safety and
passionately committed to our nation's space program.
As America prepares to embark upon a new era of human space exploration,
President Obama has commissioned a review of the nation's human space flight
plans. Known as the Augustine Committee, this panel has the important charter
of evaluating the current NASA plan and offering options for the future. Its
report is expected this week. We urge this panel, along with the president,
Congress and the American people to consider that: Exploration must be
recognized as a national imperative that sustains U.S. leadership in space; a
significant increase in human space-flight safety should be accomplished
under government leadership; we must leave low Earth orbit and explore
destinations beyond; and sustaining robust funding and staying the course are
imperative to implementing a safe, reliable and meaningful space exploration
program worthy of our nation. Click here
to view this editorial, written collaboratively by 16 astronauts. (8/30)
Political Fight Looms Over Commercialization of Space (Source: AIA)
Private companies are hailing "a much more free-market approach" to
space exploration as federal budget shortfalls require a rethinking of NASA's
role. A number of companies, including United Launch Alliance and SpaceX, are
rushing to build workhorse rockets that NASA can use on a contract basis,
freeing the space agency to focus its spending elsewhere. But shifting to
commercial contracts would likely spark a backlash on Capitol Hill as
lawmakers fight to keep NASA jobs for their districts. (8/24)
NASA May Rely More on Business (Source: Florida
Today)
NASA's Saturn V moon rockets and shuttles have long symbolized American
leadership in human spaceflight. But the shuttle's impending retirement, a
reduced budget and an emerging commercial space industry could combine to
nudge NASA out of the business of operating its own rocket fleets and
launching astronauts into low Earth orbit. Most of the options weighed by a
presidential panel reviewing the agency's human spaceflight program would
rely on the private sector to ferry cargo and astronauts, first to the
International Space Station and later on the first legs of trips to the moon
or beyond.
Relieved of that responsibility, the thinking goes, NASA could focus limited
resources on tackling technologies needed for its most ambitious exploration
goals. "It seems unreasonable to us that NASA should spend its time just
repeatedly doing what it knows how to do," Norman Augustine, chairman of
the Human Space Flight Plans Committee, said in a recent interview with PBS.
"NASA ought to be exploring outer space and doing new things." The
shipping of goods and people a few hundred miles above Earth, he added,
"that should be a commercial endeavor, in our view."
One option would be for NASA to continue developing its shuttle successors
under the Constellation program: an Ares I rocket for launching the Orion
crew capsule and a larger Ares V to lift heavy cargo needed for landings or
outposts on another planetary surface. But under current budget projections,
Ares I and Orion wouldn't be ready to fly until the space station was at or
near the end of its life in 2015 or 2020, and the Ares V years later.
Advocates say commercial alternatives to Ares I could be ready faster and
cheaper and would jump-start a frontier economy in low Earth orbit by
guaranteeing a multibillion-dollar market for their services. (8/30)
NASA Looking to Solve Medium-Lift Conundrum (Source:
SpaceFlightNow.com)
Facing a lack of rocket options for medium-class robotic missions, NASA's
launch czar said the agency will not need another medium-lift rocket until at
least 2014, enough time for new boosters to prove themselves. William Wrobel,
NASA's assistant associate administrator for launch services, said future
medium-class missions will most likely fly on Falcon 9 or Taurus 2 rockets
now being developed for resupply missions to the International Space Station.
NASA is discontinuing its use of the venerable Delta 2 rocket line, a family
of boosters that has been the backbone of the country's launch infrastructure
for more than 20 years. After the last NASA Delta 2 mission in late 2011,
there are no medium-class spacecraft due for launch until around 2014,
according to Wrobel. (8/30)
Behind Moon Travel Goal, Big Talk and Little Money (Source: New York
Times)
Forty years after it first landed men on the Moon, NASA has little chance of
repeating that accomplishment by the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11. Maybe not
even by the 60th. Five years after NASA was given a goal of returning to the
Moon by 2020, the agency is arriving at an uncomfortable realization — that
the American human spaceflight program might not accomplish anything new
anytime soon.
“Unless the president is willing to step up and take a bold step like
President Kennedy did, the manned spaceflight program is going to go in the
ditch,” said Senator Bill Nelson, Democrat of Florida. NASA’s current plan is
to retire the space shuttles by September of next year after completing
construction of the International Space Station, then rely on Russian rockets
until a next-generation rocket, the Ares I, is ready in March 2015. The
agency would then retire and dispose of the space station in 2016 and use the
freed-up money to develop the heavy-lift Ares V rocket, a lunar lander and
the technology for building a Moon settlement.
In the last couple of months, the Augustine Panel reached two points of broad
consensus. One was that it made little sense to spend 10 years building the
space station and then throw it away after only 5 years of operation. The
second was at that at present financing levels, about $100 billion for human
spaceflight in the decade from 2010 to 2020, the current program was, in the
panel’s words, “not executable.” (8/25)
Proposed Reprieve for Shuttle Could Help
Relaunch US Space Program (Source: Guardian)
The US space shuttle, scheduled to be scrapped next year, could be thrown a
last-minute lifeline this week. A reprieve is to be included as an option for
rejuvenating America's beleaguered space program in a report commissioned by
President Barack Obama. Only seven more flights have been earmarked for the
shuttle, the most complicated machine ever flown. In the wake of the
Challenger and Columbia disasters, and soaring launch costs, the spacecraft
was deemed to be too dangerous and too expensive to fly. But a review of US
manned space projects – by a committee led by aerospace executive Norm
Augustine – will include a proposal that the shuttle's life be extended for a
further five years, with two flights being made annually. (8/30)
Coping With the Closing (Source: Space Review)
Space enthusiasts have coped with the relative lack of progress in the four
decades since humans first walked on the Moon in varying ways. John Hickman
describes these various approaches and how they can pose obstacles to the future.
Visit http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1452/1
to view the article. (8/24)
Aerospace Employment to Fall by 4.5% This Year, Study Predicts
(Sources: AIA, Reuters)
A new report from AIA and several partners predicts the U.S. aerospace and
defense industry will shed some 30,000 jobs in 2009, shrinking by roughly
4.5%. Further job losses are expected through 2010, though overall the
industry will fare much better than it did at the end of the Cold War, when
payrolls were cut by about 40%. Retirement eligibility was expected to
increase from 13 percent this year to 18 percent in 2011 and 20 percent in
2013, compared with just 5.7 percent in 2008. (8/25)
Florida Group Ponders BRAC-Like Federal Response to NASA Job Losses
(Source: SPACErePORT)
The Florida Aerospace Career & Development Council (ACDC) on Monday
discussed the unavoidable loss of thousands of high-paying space industry
jobs. One suggestion raised by the group was to urge a federal response
similar to programs enacted in the wake of recent military base closures. The
Dept. of Defense and other agencies collaborated to provide economic
transition services to communities impacted by base closures. No such services
are planned in response to the Space Shuttle program's closure.
The Brevard Workforce agency is exploring the region's eligibility for other
federal funding that could be available in response to major economic
transitions. Members of the Florida Congressional Delegation are working to
obtain funding to support the community's growing need for workforce
training, counseling and placement services. (8/25)
Florida Group Updates Federal Policy Wish List (Source: Florida Today)
A council of space industry representatives has completed a final draft of
its Federal Space Policy Agenda designed to help state officials present a
unified front in their campaign to help the space industry. Years of
underfunding have left NASA facing a gap in human spaceflight that will begin
when the shuttle is retired in 2010 and last well beyond 2015, the committee
says.
"Increase the top line budget for NASA to close the gap..." reads
the beginning of the draft document approved Monday by the Aerospace Career
& Development Council (ACDC). The group's position calls for both
extending the shuttle program beyond next year and speeding the development
of the next manned rocket system. Planks in the policy also support an
educational center of excellence in Florida and legal language to ease
enhanced-use leases at Florida spaceports.
The draft approved Monday will be circulated after a final review by the
members this week. The council includes industry representatives, government
agencies and universities. Its goal is provide a unified vision to help the
space industry maintain employment as the shuttle program ends. (8/25)
Posey Talks Space in Interview (Source: Florida Today)
Question: A presidential commission has announced recommendations on
spaceflight and the shuttle fleet that seem to put the Space Coast in a tough
position. Your take? Answer: None of the scenarios is what we had hoped.
There are some things you just can't do on the cheap. And you can't maintain
space dominance for half as much as it should cost. I see nothing that will
reduce the (shuttle jobs) gap, which the president said he would do when he
was here. I see the gap getting longer -- I don't even like to say that out
loud. We have legislation . . . Rep. Suzanne Kosmas is a co-sponsor, that
would fly the shuttle until there is a man-rated vehicle that can take its
place. (8/27)
Embry-Riddle Rocketeers Featured on 'Space Talk' Radio Show (Source:
SPACErePORT)
Flying model rockets has inspired many youngsters
to pursue careers in aerospace, including Patrick McCarthy and Wes
Oleszewski, guests on the Aug. 29 edition of "Space Talk," hosted
by Jim Banke. The use of model rockets as an inspiring, educational tool was
discussed, along with "war stories" about launching and recovering
the small boosters. McCarthy is director of spaceport operations for Space
Florida. He was part of the team that won the championship in their division
at this month's National Association of Rocketry Annual Meet. Oleszewski is
owner of Dr. Zooch Rockets, a company that specializes in model rockets of
historic space launch vehicles. He is an author and creator of Klyde Morris,
an editorial cartoon strip about aviation and space.
Banke, McCarthy and Oleszewski are all
graduates of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and worked together on
"The Avion," the student newspaper. "Space Talk" is
broadcast live each Saturday at 4 p.m. ET on WMMB in Melbourne, Fla. WMMB can
be heard in Brevard County on 1240 AM and 1350 AM. The show can be heard live
on the Internet at http://www.wmmbam.com.
(8/28)
UCF Professor Joins Spaceflight Research Group (Source: Central
Florida Future)
An associate professor of planetary science at UCF was recently appointed to
a prestigious research and development group that specializes in space
vehicles. Josh Colwell joined the Commercial Spaceflight Federation’s
Suborbital Applications Researchers Group in August. He will serve on a panel
with other professionals from universities such as John Hopkins University,
Purdue University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology specializing
in microgravity physics. Each professor brings his own expertise and
experience to the panel. Where Colwell specializes in microgravity physics,
other professors specialize in areas like atmospheric sciences, space life
sciences and aerospace engineering. (8/24)
Editorial: Why the Space Program No Longer
Inspires Kids
(Source: Denver Post)
If our children no longer care about space exploration, it's not because
they're tuning out. In recent decades, what has our space program given this
country, and our children, to be proud of? The most memorable events I can
think of are misfires and failures—the tragedies of the Challenger and
Columbia space shuttles, and the romantic crime drama of Linda Nowak, an
American astronaut gone bad. I find it mind-boggling that four decades after
the 1969 moon landing, we have taken no next step.
In 2009, we can benefit from four more decades of scientific research and
technological advancements. Another moon landing and even a journey beyond
should not represent the challenges that they seem to do. We continue to act
as though we've never tried this before. This nation has lost something. Call
it focus. Call it grit and determination. Call it a reality check.
We see how China's energy efficiency programs are catching up to and may soon
overtake ours. We see how the current financial crisis reveals the extent to
which our country has been living an illusion for close to 30 years. And we
see the increasing polarization of our political system, where we are more
likely to identify ourselves as Democrats or Republicans than as Americans.
Will it really be a surprise if Russia or China reaches the moon, before we
do? (8/26)
Editorial: Fly Me to the Moon (Source: Honolulu Advertiser)
The U.S. pyramiding national, state, city debts put people in bondage;
literally, in servitude. But, may we consider the privatization of NASA?
Space exploration is a huge waste of federal revenue! NASA can easily be funded
by corporations in the private sector rather than on backs of the nation’s
poor. Privatization would remove the massive yearly cost of NASA’s accounts
payable. CNBC reported in July that NASA costs taxpayers $187 billion! NASA’s
“lease rights” could be sold to corporations to create an account receivable
to begin repaying the federal deficit. Social programs are altogether more
important than exploration of outer space. Even exploring earth’s oceans has
more practical common sense and promise than NASA’s current purpose (and what
is it, anyway?). (8/27)
Editorial: Lo$t in $pace (Source: Mesquite
Local News)
Some of the loudest noise surrounding the current debate over a nationalized
health care plan involves the cost of such a program. How much will it cost,
how will it be paid and who will foot the bill? What I haven’t heard much of
and which I would like to have addressed is a third consideration, which
involves existing government activities that could be cut or modified. This
third consideration would involve shifting government expenditures according
to a set of prioritized decisions as to how our Federal tax dollars are spent
in support of other programs.
What programs should we cut? In this regard I would like to suggest reducing
the cost of a program that will surely prove to be unpopular, yet no longer
serves a legitimate government need. I am proposing that we begin to
dismantle and eliminate the current and future programs operated by NASA.
It’s a difficult recommendation to make as our space program has, over the
years, been the source of great pride and discovery. However, since we won
the space race by beating the Soviet Union to the moon, there is not really
that much more left to learn about space flight. This is exemplified by the
current use of the Space Shuttle to ferry people and things into space.
Unfortunately this white elephant has proven to be neither safe nor cost
effective. (8/26)
Shuttle Discovery Lifts Off for ISS (Source: RIA Novosti)
The Discovery space shuttle finally lifted off from the Kennedy Space Center
in Florida after bad weather and technical problems caused previous launch
attempts to be scrubbed. Discovery blasted off at 11:59 p.m. local time on
Friday for the International Space Station. The shuttle with its seven-person
crew is commanded by veteran astronaut Rick Sturckow. It is due to deliver
supplies, including fitness equipment and the Leonardo supply module, to the
ISS. U.S. astronaut Tim Kopra, who has been part of the ISS crew since July,
will be replaced by U.S. astronaut Nicole Stott. (8/29)
Day of Delays for NASA (Source: New York Times)
It was a day of delays for NASA. At the Kennedy Space Center in Florida,
shuttle managers pushed back the planned launching of the space shuttle
Discovery again as they continued to try to work around an issue concerning a
fuel valve in the main engines. Instead of 12:22 a.m. Friday, the launch
attempt will now be at the end of the day, at 11:59 p.m. Meanwhile, in Utah,
a ground test of the first stage of NASA’s next generation rocket was called
off with only 20 seconds left in the countdown, because of a failure with a
hydraulic system that moves the engine nozzle. That test will now occur no
earlier than next Tuesday. (8/28)
NASA Postpones Ares 1 Rocket Motor Test (Source: AFP)
NASA on Thursday delayed the debut test of the first stage motor of the Ares
1 rocket, the launch vehicle for the space shuttle's successor, Orion, the
space agency said. The static test, which was supposed to have been conducted
at NASA's Promontory test center in Utah, was postponed indefinitely
following a problem in an auxiliary motor that supplied hydraulic pressure.
(8/27)
World's Tallest Rocket Readied For Test Flight (Source: Florida Today)
NASA is readying the world's tallest rocket for rollout at Kennedy Space
Center and officials are confident the Ares I-X will fly no matter what
course the Obama Administration charts for the agency. Standing 327 feet tall
in NASA's 52-story Vehicle Assembly Building, the super-sized rocket is about
15 stories taller than a NASA space shuttle. It is scheduled to roll out to
launch pad 39B on Oct. 26 and then launch five days later. (8/24)
Ares I-X Launch Defended As Important For
Any Rocket Program
(Source: Florida Today)
NASA is readying the world's tallest rocket for rollout at Kennedy Space
Center and officials are confident the Ares I-X will fly no matter what
course the Obama Administration charts for the agency. NASA officials stated
that the data is applicable to any rocket, not just the Ares I. NASA Ares I-X
mission manager Bob Ess said, "We have a very high confidence level that
the Ares I-X is germane to NASA. Period. No caveats." Even with
"looming uncertainty," Ess stated that his team is "totally
focused" on the launch. Ess said the assembly of the rocket was a test
in and of itself. A team of just 30 launch controllers -- compared to 200 for
space shuttle operations -- will conduct the Ares I-X countdown. (8/24)
Sep. 8 Space Club Luncheon Features ATK Perspective on Ares (Source:
NSCFL)
The Florida Committee of the National Space Club will hold its next luncheon
event on Sep. 8 at the DoubleTree Hotel in Cocoa Beach. The featured speaker
will be Charlie Precourt, providing an update on NASA's Ares rocket
development program and ATK's perspective. For reservations, call LaDonna at  321-505-2037
or mailto:ladonna.j.neterer@boeing.com.
(8/25)
Using Existing Rockets Could Save Taxpayers Cash (Source: Florida Today)
The Atlas V and Delta IV rockets were designed, built and launched by private
companies. But they're far from privately developed rockets. You and I and
other taxpayers will have spent at least $30 billion on Boeing's Delta IV and
Lockheed Martin's Atlas V over the rockets' lifetimes, more than double what
the companies and military leaders told Congress it would cost. So, it could
be a good thing for taxpayers if the government adds work to America's
underutilized existing rocket fleet rather than continuing to spend billions
more dollars developing a new rocket that is destined to end up over budget
and years behind schedule.
The story of the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicles is like most other big
government space projects, whether run by NASA or the Defense Department.
They almost always end up less capable than planned, more expensive than
advertised and reaching space years late. In the beginning, taxpayers were to
invest just $1 billion in the development of the two new rockets. Boeing and
Lockheed were to pick up the rest of the tab, and then sell launches of
military, science and spy satellites back to the government at a cheaper
rate. Taxpayers would save up to $10 billion over the life of the program
compared to past launcher programs. (8/24)
Start-Ups Are Poised For Latest Space Race (Source: Wall
Street Journal)
In America's latest space race, a new breed of scrappy entrepreneurs could be
facing off against some of the government's largest, long-established
aerospace contractors. The scale and nature of sending this type of work to
private contractors, unheard of in the history of NASA, could help the
administration cope with an increasingly dire budget situation and fill
crucial gaps in its program. SpaceX, a trailblazer in this commercial space
arena, hopes the initial launch of its Falcon 9 heavy-lift rocket will happen
by early 2010. They are lobbying Congress and urging the White House to come
up with financial support for the rocket.
"At the end of the day," said Larry Williams, the company's point
man in Washington, "a commercial approach requires industry to share the
development investment risk" but also permits greater rewards by selling
the technology to other customers. "It's a much more free-market
approach." Other smaller industry players and various start-up firms are
also bound to compete for the new business, which is slated to go into
operation around the middle of the next decade. Also poised to jump into the
commercial-services market is United Launch Alliance, a Boeing / Lockheed
Martin joint venture that already launches nearly all of the Pentagon's
larger satellites. (8/24)
SpaceX Making Steady Progress on Falcon-9 (Source:
SpaceFlightNow.com)
SpaceX continues to plan to debut the new Falcon 9 rocket by the end of this
year, but company engineers are still qualifying some parts of the vehicle
for the rigors of launch. "We're not down to an exact date, but we are
targeting the end of the year. And so far, so good," said Tim Buzza,
SpaceX's vice president of launch operations. Everything should be qualified
for flight in about two months, Buzza said.
Company officials are careful to point out the Falcon-9 uses similar
technology to the smaller Falcon-1, but the new launcher is more than twice
as tall and 25 times more powerful than anything SpaceX has flown before.
Pieces of the first Falcon-9 are stopping at the company's Texas test
facility on the trek from California to the launch site in Florida.
"We're focusing on those first two flights and getting all that hardware
moving from Hawthorne through Texas to the Cape," Buzza said. (8/24)
Aerojet Looking to Restart Production of
NK-33 Engine for Taurus-2 (Source: Space News)
Aerojet is in talks with Russian propulsion firms to restart production of
the Soviet-era NK-33 rocket engine that the Sacramento, Calif.-based
propulsion company is modernizing for use on Orbital Sciences' Taurus 2
medium-lift rocket. The two companies are also considering initiating a new
production line in the United States. The engines would power the Taurus 2
launch vehicle in the U.S. The liquid oxygen and kerosene engines originally
designed for Russia's abandoned Moon program were acquired by Aerojet in the
1990s and more recently redesignated AJ26-62 for use on Taurus 2.
Today, Aerojet has 37 NK-33 engines in the United States, and owns the rights
to additional surplus inventory in Russia. Aerojet says there are ample
NK-33s in the U.S. and Russia to support Orbital's Taurus-2 commitments to
NASA. The Russians, on the other hand, are looking at more near-term
scenarios, she said. Industry sources say Russia is interested in restarting
NK-33 production to power its Soyuz rockets. (8/29)
Russia to Invest $143 Million in Engines for New Angara Rocket
(Source: RIA Novosti)
Russia will invest about 4.5 billion rubles ($143 mln) by 2015 in the
production of engines for a family of Angara carrier rockets, the Perm
Territory's government said on Monday. The RD-191 is a high-performance
single-combustion chamber rocket engine, which recently passed a series of
benchmark tests at the Proton-PM company in the Perm Territory in the Urals,
and will be soon certified for test flights. Russia's Federal Space Agency
Roscosmos and the Perm Territory signed an investment agreement last week
during the MAKS-2009 air show near Moscow.
The environmentally-friendly Angara rocket, currently under development by
the Khrunichev center, is designed to put heavy payloads into orbit. It is
intended mainly for launch from the Plesetsk spaceport to reduce Moscow's
dependence on Kazakhstan's Baikonur, the main launch facility for the current
generation of Russian rockets. The new line of rockets will complement, and
eventually replace, the existing line of Rockot and Proton launch vehicles.
It will be available in a range of configurations capable of lifting between
two and 24.5 metric tons into low-earth orbit. (8/24)
South Korean Launch Places Fails to Deliver
Satellite
(Source: Telegraph)
South Korea has staged a rocket launch in a move that may stir tensions with
its neighbor to the north. The launch, which was initially delayed from late
July, is likely to rile North Korea, which was sanctioned by the United
Nations for its own attempt to launch a rocket earlier this year. North
Korean state media said Pyongyang would "closely watch" the
reaction of the international community to the launch.
The Naro rocket, partly developed by Russia, was carrying a domestic
satellite that was supposed to monitor the atmosphere. But the satellite
failed to detach from the rocket and enter an orbit. "All aspects of the
launch were normal, but the satellite exceeded its planned orbit and reached
an altitude of 223 miles," said Ahn Byong-man, the Science minister. The
satellite should have separated at around 187 miles. (8/25)
State Department Reacts to North Korea's Concerns Over South Korean Launch
(Source: US State Dept.)
A State Department spokesman gave the following comments in response to media
questions about North Korea's concern that South Korea's space launch was not
receiving the same kind of international scrutiny directed at North Korea's
recent rocket launch activity... "The South Koreans have developed their
program in a very open and transparent way and in keeping with the
international agreements that they have signed onto. This is in stark
contrast to the example set by North Korea, which has not abided by its
international agreements." (8/24)
South Korea: It's Time to Double Efforts to Realize Space Dream
(Source: Korea Times)
South Korea took one step closer to space development even though it failed
to put a satellite into orbit during its first space rocket launch on
Tuesday. To put it simply, it failed in its dream of joining the world's
space club. First, we have to admit that the nation has pushed its space
program too quickly and recklessly despite its inability to make its own
space rocket. The country had to turn to Russia in 2004 to jointly develop
the Korea Space Launch Vehicle (KSLV-1). It paid 250 billion won to the space
power for the joint project, under which Russia made the main, first-stage
rocket while Korea assembled the second-stage rocket and the scientific
satellite.
The Korean side had hoped to acquire some core technologies for rocket
production from Russia. But the foreign partner has refused to transfer such
sensitive technology to Korea. Therefore, the partnership has proved to be
nothing but Korea's purchase of the Russian rocket. On the other hand, the
Russian side has taken an opportunity to experiment with its next-generation
rocket by exploiting the KSLV-1 project. (8/26)
Details of New Japanese Cost-Cutting Launch Vehicle Leaked (Satellite
Today)
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) is spending $213 million to
develop a small launch vehicle in 2010 to reduce satellite launch costs by
two-thirds, according to Nikkei. JAXA is working with The Japanese Ministry
of Science and Technology and IHI Corp. on the project. The new three-stage
rocket will be 24 meters in length and 2.5 meters in diameter at its widest
section – less than half the size and carrying capacity of JAXA’s H-2A launch
vehicle. The rocket will be able to carry payloads as heavy as 1.2 tons and
use solid fuel for all three of its stages. JAXA claims that, since it will
not have to fill up with liquid fuel, using solid fuel will cut down on the
time that the rocket will need to prepare for liftoff once it arrives at the
launch site.
JAXA’s new rocket would bring competition into Asia’s discount launch vehicle
market, as China is also looking to provide cheaper launch services through
its Long-March vehicle. According to reports, the rocket will cost $32
million to produce and launch – less than a third of H-2A’s price tag.
Falcon-1 missions currently cost between $8 and $10 million per launch. The
first liftoff is expected to take place as early as fiscal 2012 and will most
likely be used to send space research and solar system satellites into orbit.
Eventually, the new rocket may carry a landing vehicle for Japan’s Moon
exploration project, targeted for 2020, the agencies said in the reports.
(8/27)
Intelsat Given Go-Ahead to Bypass Sea Launch for 3 Planned Launches
(Source: Space News)
The U.S. court handling the Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings of commercial
launch provider Sea Launch Co. has granted Intelsat's request to modify three
launch contracts to permit Intelsat to bypass Sea Launch and deal directly
with Sea Launch's Russian partner. Intelsat is one of several commercial
satellite operators including EchoStar, Eutelsat and Sirius XM Radio that
have been petitioning the Delaware Bankruptcy Court to force Sea Launch to
formally assume or reject their launch service agreements. Both options are
available to Sea Launch now that it is under the court's protection. Sea Launch
has been resisting its customers' demands, saying it needs more time to sort
through its financial prospects before it decides which contracts it will
honor, and which will be scuttled. (8/29)
Soyuz (Rocket) Launch From French Guiana
Delayed
(Source: Space Daily)
Moscow (AFP) Aug 25, 2009 - The first launch of a Russian Soyuz rocket from
the European Space Agency base at Kourou in French Guiana has been postponed
until April 2010, Russia's Progress space program said Tuesday. The
postponement is due to a delay "linked to a mobile launch pad," the
Itar-Tass news agency quoted Progress director Alexander Kirilin as saying.
(8/25)
Europe Wants to Buy Russian Soyuz Capsules for Crew Flights (Source:
Telegraph)
The European Space Agency, which is based in Paris, said a space vehicle of
its own would enable European astronauts to continue working at the
International Space Station even if the American shuttles cease operating.
The scheduled launch of the first Russian Soyuz from the ESA base in French
Guiana was postponed on Wednesday to 2010. To deliver the module the Russian
space program would have to increase production of the vehicle to five units
per year. Simonetta Di Pippo, the director of human spaceflight at the ESA,
said discussions with her Russian counterparts had been fruitful. "From
13 [2013] on, we would like to have at least one European astronaut per year
flying and this can be done in various ways. One of the proposals we are
putting on the table is to buy a full Soyuz...I think in two or three months,
we will be able to come out with a firm proposal." (8/28)
ESA Proceeds with Advanced Re-Entry to
Evolve to Human Capsule for Space Access (Source: ESA)
The European Advanced Reentry Vehicle is proceeding through the development
cycle. It is based on an evolution of the ESA’s Automated Transfer Vehicle
(ATV), which has shown its capabilities for logistics supply to the
International Space Station. ARV would provide ESA with the means of
undertaking complete space transportation missions, from launch to landing,
using the International Space Station (ISS) as its initial destination.
Launched on an Ariane 5, the ARV would have a forward section to return
payloads to Earth. This concept could then be used as a basis for a human
space transportation vehicle. (8/24)
ESA's Intermediate eXperimental Vehicle (IXV) Being Prepared for 2012 Test
(Source: ESA)
In 2012, Europe's new Vega launch vehicle will carry ESA's Intermediate
eXperimental Vehicle into space. The vehicle will then return to Earth to
test a range of enabling systems and technologies for atmospheric re-entry.
Vega is targeting a market for small satellite launches. (8/24)
Why Stevenage is the Final Frontier in Space Technology (Source: Daily
Mail)
EADS Astrium is the third biggest space company in the world (after Boeing
and Lockheed Martin), and space technology is not something Britain is merely
good at; there are some areas where we're the best. We're at the forefront of
robotics, which is why our autonomous rover, due to take off for Mars in
2016, is going to enable us to explore the planet more thoroughly than any
mission so far. And in the field of satellite manufacture, we are peerless.
Not only are the models we build more sophisticated than anyone else's -
three are being constructed to measure for the first time the 'gravitational
waves' predicted by Einstein and we're even planning to send one to the Sun -
but they're also more reliable, which is why they're so in demand by the
telecommunications industry. This reliability is something in which Astrium's
highly committed, multinational work force takes enormous pride. (8/30)
Joint American-Russian Manned Mars Mission? (Source: Spaceports Blog)
The head of NASA's Moscow office has invited Russia to carry out a joint
manned flight to Mars, according to RIA Novosti. Marc Bowman told an
international aviation and space conference in Moscow that the Mars mission
should take advantage of the achievements made by the International Space
Station and use a multinational crew. Bowman said the flight should be under
the control of NASA and the Russian space agency but with the participation
of international space agencies. However, he said that before a joint flight
to Mars could be made, it was necessary to complete the ISS mission and fly to
the Moon to collect essential scientific and technical information. Bowman is
the Manager of Moscow Technical Liaison Office (MTLO), the Deputy Director of
the Human Space Flight Program-Russia (HSFP-R), in addition to serving as an
attache with the U.S. Embassy in Moscow. (8/26)
India to Launch Oceansat-2 in September to
Track Marine Life
(Source: IBN Live)
The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) is all set to launch
Oceansat-2, an exclusive satellite to track marine life and identify
potential fishing zones in September. It will also provide inputs for weather
forecasting and climate studies. Oceansat-2 will take off on the Polar
Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at
Sriharikota. (8/25)
Indian
Space Tourism Considered (Source: Deccan Chronicle)
India now has the potential to operate space tourism from its soil and it
will become a reality soon, said cosmonaut Rakesh Sharma. Mr Sharma, now a
retired wing commander of the Indian Air Force and the first and only cosmonaut
from Indian soil, said India, with its variety of landscapes, looked
beautiful from space. He said India now had the potential and technical
know-how to build spacecraft to promote space tourism. Space tourism from
Indian soil will become a reality soon, he asserted. (8/29)
China To Launch Indonesia's CommSat (Source: Space
Daily)
China will soon send an Indonesian communications satellite into space on the
back of Chinese-made Long March 3B rocket, a spokesperson for the Xichang
Satellite Launch Center said. All preparatory work is well underway and both
the satellite and the rocket were in good condition, the spokesperson said.
The Palapa D satellite, owned by Indosat, an Indonesian satellite
communications company, will provide satellite links and broadcasting
services for Indonesia and other southeastern Asian nations. Indosat ordered
the Palapa D satellite from the French company Thales Alenia Space in 2007.
(8/30)
China, U.S. May Cooperate on World's Biggest Telescope (Source:
Reuters)
Astronomers from China and the United States may cooperate on building the
world's largest telescope aimed at providing deeper insight into the very
early stages of the universe, Xinhua news agency reported on Friday. The
Thirty-Meter-Telescope (TMT), conceived and headed by the University of
California and the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), is expected
to be completed in 2019. "It is a big undertaking and it will define the
future of astronomy and astrophysics for about 60 or 70 years, so it will
automatically involve a large international community," said Caltech
President Jean-Lou Chameau. The university and Caltech are talking to Chinese
astronomers and scientists about cooperation on funding and technology,
although no final decision has been made. Canada and Japan have signed up to
the project, which needs total financing of $1 billion, it said. (8/28)
Editorial: Challenge of Space in Asia (Source: Arab News)
The subject of outer space has changed. Even 20 years ago, the so-called
“space race” was still between the Russians and the Americans. Their
geopolitical rivalry rather than the pure science of space exploration was
what drove their efforts. The Soviets launched the very first satellite in
1957 and four years later put the first man, Yuri Gagarin, into orbit. That
achievement prompted President Kennedy to vow the Americans would be the
first to put a man on the Moon.
Now China and India, Japan and the EU are all pursuing their own space
programs. Last year, to intense national pride, the Chinese put their first
man in space. India’s space efforts are not that far behind. A manned mission
is scheduled in four years’ time. It is unlikely Saturday’s loss of
communications with its first lunar orbital satellite, Chandrayaan-1, will
impede India's plans. But it ought nevertheless to give pause for thought,
not just to New Delhi but to all countries that are either already
established in space or contemplating the major technological and logistical
effort of getting there. For all space nations, there has to be a fine line
between demonstrating such technical and scientific expertise and pressing on
alone with their own space programs without reference to other countries.
It has been argued that with its millions of poor, India can ill afford the
$79 million spent on this lunar mission. But this is to suggest that this sum
of money was actually shot into space in the Chandrayaan satellite. In fact,
of course, it was spent productively, largely in India and as with every
other national space effort, has boosted the local technology base. That is
arguably of more value than the intense pride most Indians have taken in the
lunar mission. (8/30)
NASA Should Keep its Commitment to the
international Space Station (Source: South Florida Sun-Sentinel)
The presidential panel reviewing the U.S. manned space program had tough
choices to make. But there's at least one choice that didn't call for a
rocket scientist. Namely, NASA should follow the panel's recommendation and
keep its commitment to the international space station at least to 2020, four
years longer than the cutoff date called for under the agency's current
budget plan. What's the point of pulling the plug in 2016 on a project that
took more than 10 years and $100 billion to build just a few years after it's
finished? Why give up so soon on this vehicle for research and international
cooperation among more than a dozen nations? It was only a few months ago
that the station was finally ready to upgrade to a six-member crew, giving it
enough manpower to begin fulfilling its research potential. (8/24)
India Loses Contact With Moon Probe, Suffers Blow to Space Ambitions
(Source: AFP)
India's first moon mission, launched amid much fanfare last year, came to an
abrupt end Saturday after the country's lunar craft lost contact with its
controllers. India launched an unmanned satellite and put a probe on the
moon's surface late last year in an event that the national space agency
hoped would give the country international "brand recognition" in
the lunar business. The landing of the probe vaulted the country into the
league of space-faring nations led by the U.S. and regional neighbors Russia,
China and Japan and was seen as a symbolic and proud moment in the country's
development. "The mission is definitely over. We have lost contact with
the spacecraft," project director M. Annadurai said. (8/29)
Lunar Lander Challenge Competition Winning
Attempts Scheduled
(Source: Northrop Grumman)
The X PRIZE Foundation announced that three teams have registered to make
attempts to win the $1.65 million still available in the Northrop Grumman
Lunar Lander Challenge. The competition is designed to accelerate
technological developments supporting the commercial creation of vertical
take-off and landing rockets with enhanced safety and performance. The
Challenge is divided into two levels. Level 1, requires a rocket to take off
from a designated launch area; climb to a low, fixed altitude; and fly for at
least 90 seconds before landing precisely on a different landing pad. The flight
must then be repeated in reverse. Both flights, along with all of the
necessary preparation for each, must take place within a two and a half hour
period. Visit http://space.xprize.org/lunar-lander-challenge
for information. (8/25)
Private Companies Compete for Google Lunar
X Prize
(Source: New American)
The recent launch of South Korea’s Naro-1 rocket marked the emergence of the
10th nation with the capacity to launch payloads to orbit. But several
private corporations — including SpaceX and Virgin Galactic — have been
redefining the role of private corporations in the opening of the next
frontier. Now, a growing number of private companies pursuing the Google
Lunar X Prize are demonstrating that space exploration is not just for
governments any more. The conditions of the Google Lunar X Prize competition
are easy to summarize, but profoundly challenging to complete:
The Google Lunar X PRIZE is a $30 million international competition to safely
land a robot on the surface of the Moon, travel 500 meters over the lunar
surface, and send images and data back to the Earth. Teams must be at least
90 percent privately funded and must be registered to compete by December 31,
2010. The first team to land on the Moon and complete the mission objectives
will be awarded $20 million; the full first prize is available until December
31, 2012. After that date, the first prize will drop to $15 million. The
second team to do so will be awarded $5 million. Another $5 million will
awarded in bonus prizes. The final deadline for winning the prize is December
31, 2014. (8/28)
Managers Mull Options After LCROSS Moon
Mission Malfunction
(Source: Spaceflight Now)
Officials are hurriedly looking for ways to save fuel on NASA's $79 million
lunar impactor mission after a crisis Saturday caused the spacecraft to burn
more than half of its remaining propellant. The Lunar Crater Observation and
Sensing Satellite used about 140 kilograms, or 309 pounds, of maneuvering fuel
to maintain the probe's orientation in space Saturday, according to Dan
Andrews, the mission's project manager at Ames Research Center.
LCROSS is tugging a 41-foot-long Centaur rocket stage on a circuitous route
through space. Scientists are preparing for a fleeting series of observations
as the spent booster is released for a suicidal plunge into the moon on Oct.
9. The 6-foot-tall shepherding spacecraft's attitude control system was
specifically designed to handle the unusual job of positioning the 47-foot-long
stack as it flies toward the moon. LCROSS is now perilously close to its
built-in propellant margins, and the team will probably have to cancel some
activities that are not crucial to the mission. (8/26)
LCROSS Mission On Track Despite Weekend Propellant Bender (Source:
Space News)
A navigation glitch that caused NASA's Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing
Satellite (LCROSS) to consume more than half of its propellant over the
weekend should not prevent the novel spacecraft from crashing into the Moon
this October as planned. (8/26)
Dust Storm Adds Urgency to Mars Rover
Predicament
(Source: Space.com)
Dust storms are currently stirring up the Martian skies in the region where NASA's
Spirit rover is stuck in the sand. The swirling sands don't pose an immediate
threat to Spirit, but they could create more urgency for the effort to free
the mired rover if dust obscures her access to solar energy. Spirit has been
stuck in Martian dirt up to its hubcaps since May 6, when it became mired in
a dirt patch (now called "Troy") while driving backward. (8/26)
Landsat 5 Back In Service After Taking a
Tumble
(Source: Space News)
The U.S. government's aging Landsat 5 Earth observation satellite was
recertified for operations Aug. 17 after inexplicably tumbling out of its
operating orbit Aug. 13, a U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) spokesman said Aug.
26. The USGS is still investigating the cause of the anomaly, and one
possibility is that it was struck by debris during the annual Perseid meteor
shower that peaked around that time, spokesman Ron Beck said in an interview.
(8/29)
Space Traffic Requires Regulations (Source: Russia IC)
Recent International Aerospace Congress, which took place in Moscow, covered
issues of mitigation of excessive space debris. Space authorities say that
after 2055 steady growth of space debris puts in question further exploration
of space by next generations. Experts warn about additional troubles for
space exploration, such as possibility weapon deployment in space; growing
traffic of small space ships, which are very hard to control; active space
tourism and suborbital flights and etc. Russia needs development of
international regulations of space activities, which meet all international
standards. (8/27)
PAN's Labyrinth (Source: Space Review)
An Atlas 5 is scheduled to launch next month a mysterious satellite
identified only as PAN. Dwayne Day sheds a little more light on this
spacecraft and its possible mission. Visit http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1450/1
to view the article. (8/24)
U.S. Air Force Seeks Input On Laser Comm Demo Sat (Source: Space News)
The U.S. Air Force is seeking input from industry by Oct. 2 about the
feasibility of building a demonstration satellite that would use lasers to
transmit information between space and the ground, according to a posting on
a U.S. government procurement Web site. (8/29)
Russia, U.S. Undecided on Site of Rocket Observation Center (Source:
RIA Novosti)
Russia and the U.S. have yet to decide on where to place a joint control
point to observe rocket launches by foreign countries, Russia's chief of
staff said on Wednesday. During his visit to Moscow in July, U.S. President
Barack Obama discussed with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev issues relating
to the development of anti-rocket systems, and began talks on creating a
joint "Center for Information Exchange," which would inform both
countries of rocket launches throughout the world.
"The issue of creating a joint control point to observe rocket launches
and to inform one another of unsanctioned launches is being discussed,"
Gen. Nikolai Makarov told a news conference in Mongolia's capital. He said
the center would allow both countries to inform each other of rocket
launches, which country is launching them, and of the threat posed by them.
The two countries have been discussing the creation of such a center since
2000, but have not yet decided on where the center should be located,
although Moscow has not been ruled out. (8/24)
White House to Rule on NPOESS Management Changes in September (Source:
Space News)
The White House by Sept. 26 will decide on proposed changes to a troubled
weather satellite program that include assigning management responsibility
for the tri-agency effort to either NASA or the U.S. Air Force, according to
government sources. According to a congressional source, Shere Abbott,
associate director of environment in the White House Office of Science and
Technology Policy, is leading a panel that seeks to make changes in time to
influence the 2011 budget. The source was reading from a July 28 memo from
John Holdren, White House science adviser and director of that office, to
senior leaders of the agencies managing the National Polar-orbiting
Operational Environmental Satellite (NPOESS) program. (8/29)
Skill Shortage Looms for Military Acquisition Expertise (Source: AIA)
As the Pentagon rushes to add 20,000 procurement experts to its payroll, analysts
say the task will be complicated by a lack of qualified candidates and fierce
competition among various branches of the armed forces. Next year alone,
Defense Secretary Robert Gates wants to hire 4,100 systems engineers,
logistics specialists, contracting officers and project managers to bring
spiraling acquisition costs under control. But AIA Vice President Cord
Sterling agrees with many other industry experts in warning that the rapid
buildup could have unintended consequences. "The workforce needs to be
grown, not acquired," he says. (8/25)
Maryland Plan Calls for $72M Investment in STEM Workforce, R&D
Infrastructure (Source: SSTI)
To establish Maryland as a global leader in science, technology, engineering
and mathematics (STEM) workforce and STEM-based R&D infrastructure, a
task force convened last year by Gov. Martin O'Malley urges the state to
adopt a set of initiatives to reach higher performance standards in teaching
and learning in addition to greater productivity in transforming the state's
high volume of R&D activity into economic growth and job creation. The
full report of the task force, which is co-chaired by William Kirwan,
Chancellor of the University System of Maryland, is available here.
(8/27)
Two
Florida Firms Among 16 Winning NASA Small Business Research Awards (Source: NASA)
NASA has selected 16 small business projects to address important research
and technology needs. The "Phase-2" awards are part of NASA's Small
Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer
(STTR) programs. Two Florida-based companies/projects include: Orlando-based
Light Processing & Technologies, Inc., for High Power Compact
Single-Frequency Volume Bragg Er-Doped Fiber Laser; and Tampa-based Advanced
Materials Technology, Inc., for Advanced Insulation Materials for Cryogenic
Propellant Storage Applications. (8/28)
Space Florida Preparing to Select New
President
(Source: SPACErePORT)
A committee of Space Florida's board of directors will meet on Sep. 3, 11 and
16 to interview candidates and recommend a permanent replacement for former
president Steve Kohler, who resigned on May 8. The Sep. 3 and 11 meetings are
all-day affairs in Pensacola and Orlando, and the Sep. 16 meeting is a
teleconference with Gov. Charlie Crist or Lt. Gov. Jeff Kottkamp (they serve
as chairman and co-chairman of the board) to review the committee's
recommendations. The full board will meet on Sep. 17 via teleconference to make
a decision. Frank DiBello has been serving as Space Florida's acting
president and is expected to be among the finalists for the permanent
position. Executive recruiting firm Korn/Ferry International has been working
under contract to Space Florida to support the process. (8/27)
Leadership Changes at Marshall Space Flight Center (Source:
SPACErePORT)
NASA has named Robert Lightfoot as the next director of Marshall Space Flight
Center (MSFC). Lighfoot has been serving as acting director since previous MSFC
Director Dave King left in April. Meanwhile, NASA's MSFC-based Ares project
manager, Steve Cook, announced that he is also leaving the agency. (8/28)
NASA Ames Designated 2009 AIAA Historic
Aerospace Site
(Source: NASA)
In recognition of 70 years of pioneering aerospace research and its
significant contributions to aerospace history, NASA Ames Research Center
today was honored as a 2009 Historic Aerospace Site by the American Institute
of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA). Since its founding in 1939, Ames has
made substantial strides in aerospace research. (8/26)
NASA Ames Gets Ready for New Green Building (Source: San Jose Mercury
News)
NASA's Ames Research Center is ready to begin construction of what is planned
as the greenest building ever built by the federal government, a structure
that will use state-of-the-art sensors developed for space missions but also
rely on the age-old strategy of opening the window to catch a cool breeze.
Christened "Sustainability Base" by NASA in an homage to
"Tranquility Base," the site of the first moon landing 40 years
ago, the $20.6 million building will begin construction in late September or
early October near the gateway to Moffett Field. (8/26)
California Wildfire Threatens JPL (Source: On Orbit)
On Orbit reports that a wildfire in California over the weekend was getting
dangerously close to the NASA/CalTech Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Click here for more information and
photos. (8/28)
Health Advocates Open Exhibit on California Rocket Engine Test Stands (Source:
Ventura County Star)
The Aerospace Cancer Museum of Education (ACME) and NASA are hosting an
exhibit on the history of the rocket engine test stands at the Santa Susana
Field Laboratory. The Aug. 28 exhibit opening features a presentation on the
test stands by Allen Elliott of NASA and the ACME members. ACME opened in May
as a center where community members can learn about Santa Susana Field
Laboratory and the historic clean-up initiatives to take place as recently
directed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. In a unique and unprecedented
collaboration by founders William Preston Bowling and Christina Walsh, ACME
will organize and activate a public hungry for accurate information about
this and other astronomically polluted Nuclear and Aerospace Research sites.
For more information, visit: http://www.ACMELA.org.
(8/27)
Northrop to Spend $21M to Help Clean up California Superfund Site
(Source: AIA)
Aerospace giant Northrop Grumman Corp. has agreed to spend about $21 million
to clean up groundwater pollution in California's San Gabriel Valley from
factories that date back to World War II, under a settlement with the EPA.
Northrop operated three of 62 factories that discharged pollution into
groundwater at what is now a Superfund site near Los Angeles. While the
Northrop sites were not the largest source of pollution, the company stepped
up and worked with other parties to help with the cleanup, officials said.
(8/28)
NASA Extends Lockheed Martin Space Station Cargo Integration Contract
(Source: NASA)
NASA has awarded Lockheed Martin Integrated Systems Inc. in Houston a
one-year contract extension valued at $33 million to provide integration
services for cargo delivery to and from the International Space Station.
Lockheed Martin has held the station's cargo mission contract since January
2004. The one-year extension will bring the total value of the contract to
$381 million. (8/26)
Turksat Seeking Proposals For Turksat 4A Satellite (Source: Space
News)
Turkey's national telecommunications satellite operator, Turksat, will issue
a request for bids for a Turksat 4A satellite in the coming weeks and expects
to select a manufacturer by the end of 2009, with a launch planned for 2011,
Turksat Director-General Ozkan Dalbay said. (8/29)
Bankruptcy Court Sets Protostar Auction Dates (Source: Space News)
The Delaware Bankruptcy Court, which is overseeing startup satellite services
provider ProtoStar Ltd.'s Chapter 11 case, has set an Oct. 8 deadline for
initial bids from parties seeking to purchase the ProtoStar 1 and ProtoStar 2
telecommunications satellites. An open auction of ProtoStar's assets is
scheduled for Oct. 14 at the New York offices of law firm Milbank, Tweed,
Hadley & McCloy LLP. (8/29)
Sun's Cycle Alters Earth's Climate (Source: Space.com)
Weather patterns across the globe are partly affected by connections between
the 11-year solar cycle of activity, Earth's stratosphere and the tropical
Pacific Ocean, a new study finds. The study could help scientists get an edge
on eventually predicting the intensity of certain climate phenomena, such as
the Indian monsoon and tropical Pacific rainfall, years in advance. The sun
is the ultimate source of all the energy on Earth; its rays heat the planet
and drive the churning motions of its atmosphere.
The amount of energy the sun puts out varies over an 11-year cycle (this
cycle also governs the appearance of sunspots on the sun's surface as well as
radiation storms that can knock out satellites), but that cycle changes the
total amount of energy reaching Earth by only about 0.1 percent. A conundrum
for meteorologists was explaining whether and how such a small variation
could drive major changes in weather patterns on Earth. (8/27)
Kamikaze Planet (Source: Science Now)
Astronomers have found a giant planet orbiting so close to its parent star
that it's bound to spiral inward to its doom or else be ripped to shreds by
the star's gravity. Either way, the planet called WASP-18b should provide
astronomers with a mother lode of data about the delicate gravitational
balancing act that affects all solar systems. Researchers have found an
extreme version of tidal forces at work. WASP-18b is roughly 10 times the
mass of Jupiter, and it orbits only about 3 million kilometers from its star.
WASP-18b and its star are so close to each other that it takes the planet,
which is described in tomorrow's issue of Nature, less than a day to complete
a revolution. (8/26)
Swanky Space Hotel Concept Revealed (Source: Space.com)
Space tourism may face some challenges with the uncertainty over the
next-generation rides into space. But that hasn't stopped Earth designers
from envisioning future space hotels for paying thrill seekers. A robot
concierge, a redesigned showerhead and a full-sensory exercise wall are just
part of the Space Hotel Project created by master's degree students in a
program hosted by Imperial College London and the Royal College of Art in the
UK. The concept could theoretically attach to the International Space
Station, so long as the growing space outpost remains in orbit. (8/26)
Space Elevator: Still on the Ground Floor (Source: Space Review)
Several years ago there was renewed interest in the concept of the space
elevator, but that enthusiasm has yet to translate into major progress. Jeff
Foust reports on a recent conference where the space elevator community took
stock of the current situation and made plans to forge ahead. Visit http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1451/1
to view the article. (8/24)
Conrad Foundation Opens Registration for 2010 Spirit of Innovation Awards
(Source: Conrad Foundation)
The San Francisco-based Conrad Foundation, a non-profit science-education and
entrepreneurship advocacy organization, has opened registration for the 2010
Spirit of Innovation Awards. This competition challenges teams of high school
students to create innovative products in four categories: aerospace
exploration, space nutrition, renewable energy and green schools. Competing
students will be guided through a phased pathway incorporating science,
technology, design, marketing and business in an interdisciplinary,
project-based product development experience. Visit http://www.conradawards.org for
information. (8/27)
'Moon Rock' Given to Holland by Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin is Fake
(Source: Daily Telegraph)
A moon rock given to the Dutch prime minister by Apollo 11 astronauts in 1969
has turned out to be a fake. Curators at Amsterdam's Rijksmuseum, where the
rock has attracted tens of thousands of visitors each year, discovered that
the "lunar rock", valued at £308,000, was in fact petrified wood.
Xandra van Gelder, who oversaw the investigation, said the museum would
continue to keep the stone as a curiosity. "It's a good story, with some
questions that are still unanswered," she said. "We can laugh about
it." The rock was given to Willem Drees, a former Dutch leader, during a
global tour by Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins and Edwin "Buzz"
Aldrin following their moon mission 50 years ago.
J. William Middendorf, the former American ambassador to the Netherlands,
made the presentation to Mr Drees and the rock was then donated to the Rijksmuseum
after his death in 1988. "I do remember that Drees was very interested
in the little piece of stone. But that it's not real, I don't know anything
about that," Mr Middendorf said. Nasa gave moon rocks to more than 100
countries following lunar missions in 1969 and the 1970s. The United States
Embassy in The Hague is carrying out an investigation into the affair. (8/28)
Bring Your Questions for Buzz Aldrin (Source: NYT Freakonomics)
On Saturday, Buzz Aldrin became the first astronaut to accept an Emmy award.
Aldrin has agreed to take your questions — about NASA, walking on the moon,
the value to society of space exploration, or anything else you can conjure —
so ask away in the comments section below. As with all Q&A’s, we will
post his answers here in a few days. Click here
to participate in the conversation. (8/24)
Ted Kennedy Dies; Space Program and NASA Explorer Schools Among his Causes
(Source: Examiner)
Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.), brother of President John F. Kennedy, who
challenged America to land on the moon in a decade, has died of brain cancer.
In 2006, Kennedy, along with former astronaut Jeff Hoffman and other
dignitaries, opened a NASA Explorers School in Lynn, Mass. Part of a national
effort, the Explorers Schools puts NASA content and programs into science,
technology and mathematics curricula in classroom grades 4-9 across the
United States. Targeting underserved populations in diverse geographic
locations, NASA Explorer Schools will bring together educators,
administrators, students and families in sustained involvement with NASA's
education programs. (8/26)
Joseph Smith's Mormon Teachings Equate with Modern Cosmology (Source:
Mormon Times)
When the Big Bang theory emerged around 1930, Joseph Smith's views of the
universe didn't look good from a scientific perspective, according to a
former NASA physicist. But times, and the climate of cosmology, have changed.
Ron Hellings, a believing Latter-day Saint who earned a doctorate in physics
and spent 25 years as a research scientist at NASA, is well-aware of the
contradictions and uncertainty out there. "In the last 20 years, we have
learned so much about the universe that we are now mystified and profoundly
confused," Hellings said. "This is no time for anyone to criticize
anyone else's beliefs based on what cosmologists know."
That applies to the Mormon Prophet, whom Hellings is convinced knew something
about the cosmos and did his best with the language at his disposal. During a
presentation at the Mormon Apologetics Conference titled "Joseph Smith
and Modern Cosmology," Hellings explored teachings of the Prophet that
have "cosmic implications" and analyzed them against the backdrop
of science. He detailed the evolving understanding of the universe and how we
arrived at an exciting but "very confusing" time in the world of
cosmology.
Hellings put particular emphasis on Doctrine and Covenants 131:7, which
states, "There is no such thing as immaterial matter. All spirit is
matter, but it is more fine or pure." He emphasized that the Prophet
expressed his learning in his own words -- not those of a future scientist.
"I believe that it's true that Joseph Smith knew something about the cosmos,
and that he tried to explain it to the Saints in the language that he had at
his command." Translated into more modern terminology, Hellings
concluded that the Prophet's views on the cosmos comprise the following
points: matter-energy is conserved, everything is matter-energy, and the
universe is infinite and eternal. (8/24)
Volunteers Needed for Cocoa Beach Air Show, Oct. 2-4 (Source:
SPACErePORT)
Volunteers are vital to an air show's success! By becoming a volunteer you
can play a significant role in making the 2009 Cocoa Beach Air Show (Oct.
2-4) happen and see it all from behind the scenes. You'll also get to
participate in some of the private functions and events that will take place
during Air Show Week in Cocoa Beach. Please note that all of the volunteer
positions are unpaid. Every volunteer will receive: 2 tickets to Show Center
Beach; a parking pass; complimentary lunch and soft drinks on the day(s)
worked; a special edition event t-shirt being provided only to performers,
staff & volunteers. Click here
to volunteer.
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