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July
27, 2009
New NASA Boss: Astronauts on Mars in his Lifetime (Source: AP)
NASA's new boss says he will be "incredibly disappointed" if people
aren't on Mars -- or even beyond it -- in his lifetime. NASA Administrator
Charles Bolden Jr., who's 62, told The Associated Press that his ultimate
goal isn't just Mars -- it's anywhere far from Earth. "I did grow up
watching Buck Rogers and Buck Rogers didn't stop at Mars," Bolden said
in one of his first interviews since taking office last Friday. "In my
lifetime, I will be incredibly disappointed if we have not at least reached
Mars." That appears to be a shift from the space policy set in motion by
President George W. Bush, who proposed first returning to the moon by 2020
and then eventually going to Mars a decade or two later. Bolden didn't rule
out using the moon as a stepping stone to Mars and beyond, but he talked more
about Mars than the moon. (7/21)
"Feelings are Back" at NASA Under Bolden, Garver (Source:
Florida Today)
New NASA administrator Charles Bolden introduced himself to employees today
with an informal speech filled with humor and emotion, presenting a
strikingly different leadership style to that of his predecessor, Mike
Griffin. Bolden, a four-time shuttle flyer and retired Marine Corps Maj.
General, said he likes to give hugs and cries a lot, and as advertised became
choked up several times during an hour-long "all-hands" address
from NASA headquarters in Washington, D.C.
He was joined by his deputy administrator, Lori Garver. The U.S. Senate
confirmed both last Thursday and they were sworn in Friday. The talk included
little discussion about policy or looming challenges like retirement of the
space shuttle and a White House panel's ongoing review of NASA's human
spaceflight program. Bolden said the panel chaired by Lockheed Martin Corp.
CEO Norman Augustine was "not something to fear," and that he would
have requested it had he been confirmed earlier. "It kind of took me off
the hook," he said. (7/21)
Editorial: Missing the Mark (Source: Space Policy Online)
It is easy to become swept up in the enthusiasm of the new leadership team at
NASA. Blogs and newspapers have been full of opinions about the past,
present, and future of NASA, especially whether Charlie Bolden and Lori
Garver have what it takes to turn the agency around. But these commentaries
all seem to miss the mark. They are commentaries on NASA. What can NASA do? What
should NASA do? Why can’t NASA be better than it is? How will Charlie and
Lori fix NASA?
NASA is the wrong target. The question of whether NASA is achieving the goals
that America wants should be aimed at the President of the United States and
the indecisive (according to polls) American public that he represents. NASA
has spent the last 40 years doing what it was told to do – build and operate
the space shuttle and (albeit much more slowly and at much greater cost than
expected) build a space station – while waiting for the signal to advance
beyond low Earth orbit once more. The starting gun has fired twice, in 1989
and in 2004 but the occupants of the Oval Office in each of those cases did
not follow through with requisite funding and political muscle to ensure
those efforts bore fruit. (7/23)
Space Program Struggles for Direction (Source: Wall Street Journal)
Forty years after astronauts set foot on the moon, America's space program is
struggling to find decisive leadership, clear-cut goals and consistent public
support. Despite a flurry of celebrations commemorating the July 1969 lunar
landing of Apollo 11 and a pledge from President Barack Obama, a
self-described space geek, to reinvigorate the agency, U.S. manned space
efforts remain in limbo. Federal budget constraints threaten to scuttle
NASA's current plans to spend more than $70 billion to build a new generation
of rockets and space capsules to return to the moon after 2020. While
alternate proposals promise lower costs and fewer technical risks, they
continue to spark disputes with industry and government officials intent on
protecting incumbent contractors.
NASA has been drifting and no longer "is the inspiration of a
nation," said Sen. Jay Rockefeller of West Virginia, the Democratic
chairman of the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee that oversees
NASA. As part of the drive to make the agency's mission more relevant, the
White House is widely expected to focus greater efforts on environmental
issues. Meanwhile, China, Russia, Japan, India and various European countries
are scrambling to take the lead. "We're going to have to get used to
seeing strangers in the sky," futurist Alvin Toffler told a space
symposium earlier this year. (7/20)
Poll Shows Mixed Public Support for Space (Source: FOX)
A new Fox/Rasmussen poll surveyed people’s feelings about space exploration:
44% believe the U.S. should cut back on space exploration, given the state of
the economy; 45% think the U.S. space investment since Apollo 11 has been
worth the expense; 51% think the U.S. should not be planning to send humans
to Mars; 58% would not want to be part of a mission to space; 55% think it is
very likely or somewhat likely that life exists on other planets. (7/20)
Editorial: Time to Rethink Spending on NASA and Space Exploration
(Source: Kalamazoo Gazette)
This year, NASA is costing each American household about $150. If that was
put on a ballot, I wonder, would it pass? Maybe I'm missing something. Maybe
the agency that helped invent Tang and Teflon really is more critical or more
popular than I imagine. Or maybe it's time to regroup and rethink. Lots of
people are wringing their hands these days about wasteful government
spending. Should we be turning that attention to NASA? (7/22)
With Big Multi-State DOD Programs Like F-22 Cut, Could NASA be Next?
(Source: NASA Watch)
"The real question isn't so much the programs - its the Centers; does
NASA REALLY need '10 healthy centers'? For that matter, at current funding
levels, can it afford them? The sad reality behind the fallacy of funding
exploration by terminating shuttle (& eventually ISS) is that probably
25-30% of their costs is covering the overhead costs to sustain JSC, MSFC,
Michoud, etc.
NASA badly needs to consolidate - after an objective BRAC-like process - and
dump at least 2 facilities; it will come at a political cost but dragging
around an institutional overhead sized for Apollo while operating a space
program on Mercury era budgets, as a % of GDP, makes no sense. F-22 may show
its possible to kill big multi-state programs but can we muster the political
will to trim excess facilities in only one or two locations?" (7/26)
Mars: Astronauts Remain Stuck in 1969 (Source: What's New)
Charles Bolden said he wants to go to Mars. How incredibly old-fashioned! We
are on Mars now. This is the 21st century. We have discovered robotics. More
than that, we have telerobots. Spirit and Opportunity are merely robust
extensions of our fragile human bodies. They don't break for lunch, or
complain about the cold nights, and they live on sunshine. We have been on
Mars for more than five years, looking for evidence of water and life. A
human on Mars would be locked in a spacesuit with only the sense of sight.
Our rovers have better eyes than any human, and we don't have to take their
word it; everyone can see what they see. How wonderfully democratic!
Moreover, they have the IQ of their PhD operators back on Earth. (7/19)
Tom Wolfe: Giant Leap to Nowhere (Source: New York Times)
After Apollo, all NASA and von Braun needed was the president’s and
Congress’s blessings and the great adventure would continue. Why would they
so much as blink before saying the word? Three months after the landing,
however, in October 1969, I began to wonder ... I was in Florida, at Cape
Kennedy, the space program’s launching facility, aboard a NASA tour bus. The
bus’s Spielmeister was a tall-fair-and-handsome man in his late 30s ... and a
real piece of lumber when it came to telling tourists on a tour bus what they
were looking at. He was so bad, I couldn’t resist striking up a conversation
at the end of the tour.
Sure enough, it turned out he had not been put on Earth for this job. He was
an engineer who until recently had been a NASA heat-shield specialist. A
baffling wave of layoffs had begun, and his job was eliminated. It was so bad
he was lucky to have gotten this stand-up Spielmeister gig on a tour bus.
Neil Armstrong and his two crew mates, Buzz Aldrin and Mike Collins, were
still on their triumphal world tour ... while back home, NASA’s irreplaceable
team of highly motivated space scientists — irreplaceable! — there were no
others! ...anywhere! ... You couldn’t just run an ad saying, “Help Wanted:
Experienced heat-shield expert” ... the irreplaceable team was breaking up,
scattering in nobody knows how many hopeless directions.
NASA Trashed its Own Brand (Source: LA Times)
The famous science fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke said, "Any
sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic." When
NASA did the seemingly impossible and pulled off the Apollo moon landings,
astronauts became our brave heroes and NASA was viewed almost as an academy
for wizards and alchemy.
Through the extraordinary results of key missions, NASA earned the solar-system
equivalent of unparalleled "street credibility." This success
fueled the emergence of the NASA "brand," one of the most
recognizable and powerful franchises on the planet. When the public thought
of NASA, it often thought of science, integrity, discovery, credibility, high
technology and the future of humanity. NASA made being a techie nerd cool.
But although NASA has assembled perhaps the largest group of world-class
talent on science and technology, but rather than inspiring its bright minds
to excel, it has instead smothered them with bureaucracy. All brands have
life cycles. Importantly, an organization cannot manage its brands entirely
by public relations and spin. Brand values have to be primarily driven by
strategy and earned by results. (7/24)
Miles O'Brien: The Message is Part of the Mission (Source: NASA Watch)
In testimony to Congress last week, former CNN reporter Miles O'Brien said:
"[NASA], dispersed geographically as well by centers of expertise and
excellence - does not speak with one voice as it should. Public Affairs
herein Washington needs more authority to direct the far flung PR operations
- and frankly they need a budget - which currently is 0. You do get what you
pay for. There is no doubt the mission is the message - and NASA needs to be
taking us places where we have not been before to capture the fancy of a
jaded public. But the message is also part of the mission - it should never
be an afterthought." (7/20)
Bill Nye: Time for NASA to Innovate, Inspire (Source: LA Times)
Scientist Bill Nye says it may be time for NASA to reexamine its mission and
cede appropriate tasks to private companies in order to better focus on a
Mars mission and other 21st-century endeavors. "It's up to our new NASA
administrator to calm the Cold Warriors and focus the agency on what it does
best: inspiring us as we explore stars and worlds from space." (7/24)
Alan Stern: Apollo's Greatest Achievement (Source: Space Review)
With the perspective now of 40 years, what was the biggest effect Apollo had?
Alan Stern says it's the inspiration it provided to a generation of
Americans, some of whom are now turning their attention to the commercial
development of space. Visit http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1423/1 to view the
article. (7/20)
Apollo Astronauts Offer Obama Their Views on NASA's Future (Source:
AIA)
President Barack Obama welcomed a group of former Apollo astronauts to the
White House on Monday to commemorate the 40th anniversary of Neil Armstrong's
"great leap" onto the lunar surface. But despite the president's
vow to maintain NASA's "inspirational" role in space exploration,
the Apollo vets had little positive to say about the current state of the
space agency. Walter Cunningham said NASA's funding levels are
"idiotic," while Jim Lovell called the International Space Station
"almost a white elephant." Buzz Aldrin said a mission to Mars was
needed to rivet the nation's attention, and Lovell seemed to agree. "The
only way to have people glued to their TV sets is to have an accident ... or
do something that is really different," he said. (7/21)
What NASA's Return to the Moon May Look Like (Source: New Scientist)
The Apollo era may have ended as funding fizzled, and the program's astronauts
may be bigger fans of Mars, but the hope of returning to the moon never
really went away. NASA is still sorting out what this lunar presence might
look like. The agency's lunar surface systems office has examined more than a
dozen different mission scenarios for astronaut habitats in preparation for a
review in mid-2010.
The front-runner is a "greatest hits" scenario that combines the
best parts of other mission concepts, Leonard told New Scientist. In this
approach, lunar landers would deliver habitats, rovers, and robots that could
crawl across the lunar surface, propelled by solar power. Click here to see a gallery of
proposed designs for NASA's future return to the moon. (7/23)
Moon Rush - Goldmine of the Future (Source: Daily Beast)
It may look like a lifeless chunk of rock, but scientists say the moon may
become a valuable piece of real estate one day. According to Agence
France-Presse, manned missions to the moon may uncover scarce resources that
ultimately prove profitable. One potentially useful find is helium-3, which
could be used as fuel if nuclear-fusion technology ever becomes widespread.
"It's not the only solution to the accelerating demand for energy that
we are going to see on Earth, but it's certainly one of the major potential
solutions to that demand," geologist and former astronaut Harrison
Schmitt told the AFP. Click here to view a
collection of articles on whether we should return to the moon and venture on
to Mars. (7/20)
Final Frontier Attracts Few Investors,
Analysts Say
(Source: AIA)
The space industry has grown by only 25% in the last three decades or so,
with two-thirds of spending coming from government sources, according to
experts. "Rockets are no better today than what they were with
Sputnik," says an analyst with GlobalSecurity.org, who adds: "We
thought we'd be going to the moon on PanAm by now." Lower government
spending is partly to blame, along with the absence of a clear business model
for private companies. "Nobody's been able to figure out what can you do
in space that will allow you to make a lot of money," says a Teal Group
analyst. "In the aircraft and railroad business, it became obvious that
transporting cargo made you money, but in the case of space it is just not
that easy." (7/21)
Advertising on the Moon (Source: Parabolic Arc)
New Shadow Shaping technology creates images on the moon that can be seen
from Earth. Robots are used to create several small ridges in the lunar dust
over large areas that capture shadows and shape them to form logos, domains
names or memorials. For more information on this technology, click here. (7/21)
Google Flies You to the Moon (Source: CNET)
Google Earth can now take you to the moon. Timed with the 40th anniversary of
the first moon walk, the Internet giant on Monday released an addition to its
Google Earth mapping software to provide images of moon landscapes and traces
of human exploration there. Called the Moon in Google Earth and available for
Windows, Mac, and Linux, the software allows you to see topographical
features on our closest celestial neighbor with the lunar equivalent of
Google Street View. People can also see a gallery of the Apollo space
missions and get information on every robotic spacecraft that has visited the
moon. (7/20)
How TV News Would Cover the Moon Landing if it Happened Today (Source:
Slate)
Click here to view a video depicting how the Apollo
11 Moon landing would have been covered by today's television news media.
(7/21)
JPL Director Predicts a Decade of Space Progress (Source: CNN)
What can we expect from space exploration over the next decade? By the time
Brainstorm Tech 2019 convenes, we will have established a permanent presence
on another planet (Mars), we’ll know if life exists on other planets in our
solar system, we’ll have a “family portrait” of our neighboring 2,000 solar
systems, and we’ll have a better understanding of what’s happening on our
planet. This is what Dr. Charles Elachi, director of the NASA Jet Propulsion
Laboratory (JPL) and vice president of the California Institute of
Technology, predicts is within our grasp. (7/23)
Ion Engine Could One Day Power 39-Day Trips to Mars (Source: New
Scientist)
There's a growing chorus of calls to send astronauts to Mars rather than the
moon, but critics point out that such trips would be long and grueling,
taking about six months to reach the Red Planet. But now, researchers are
testing a powerful new ion engine that could one day shorten the journey to
just 39 days. Traditional rockets burn chemical fuel to produce thrust. Most
of that fuel is used up in the initial push off the Earth's surface, so the
rockets tend to coast most of the time they're in space.
Ion engines, on the other hand, accelerate electrically charged atoms, or
ions, through an electric field, thereby pushing the spacecraft in the
opposite direction. They provide much less thrust at a given moment than do
chemical rockets, which means they can't break free of the Earth's gravity on
their own. But once in space, they can give a continuous push for years, like
a steady breeze at the back of a sailboat, accelerating gradually until
they're moving faster than chemical rockets. (7/24)
NASA Goes Private for Space Transportation (Source: Tampa Tribune)
NASA is turning to private space companies to plug a worrisome five-year gap
in its ability to boost astronauts into orbit and return them safely to
Earth. The gap runs from the end of next year, when the three remaining space
shuttles are supposed to be retired, until 2015, the earliest that NASA's
replacement system will be ready to do the job.
To shorten the spaceflight gap, two private companies are being asked to
demonstrate the ability to deliver food, water, equipment and supplies to the
space station starting in 2011. Commercial launches of human crews, a much riskier
operation, would come no sooner than 2012, if at all. There will be "a
significant gap" in the ability to get cargo and people into orbit,
Michael Suffredini, space station program manager, told the Review of U.S.
Human Space Flight Plans Committee last week. (7/25)
Attention Sen. Shelby: NASA Doesn't Have Monopoly on Ingenuity
(Source: Waco Tribune)
While Americans are ruminating, perchance even dreaming of man’s quest for
the moon and beyond, some are reflecting on the sobering fact we no longer have
the right stuff to put a man on the moon. As leaders debate what NASA’s
mission should be, fights rage over the imminent retirement of the aging
space shuttle and the NASA Constellation program some see as replacing it,
despite problems that have dogged and delayed it.
Some insist NASA should be concentrating on the conquest of space and new
rocket technologies, leaving the nuts and bolts of building more conventional
rockets for NASA to spunky outfits such as SpaceX. The debate has created
rifts. U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby, a Republican conservative who has made a
career of attacking government-run programs, ironically is all for those in
his home state, including the beleaguered Constellation program.
Most recently, he sought to divert more money originally targeted for private
rocketry firms such as SpaceX into the government-run Constellation program.
Some political observers fear he’ll succeed, too, unless U.S. Sens. Kay
Bailey Hutchison and John Cornyn weigh in. His efforts seem contrary to
cherished Republican principles, going against the very grain of private
enterprise and the ingenuity that often sprouts in such endeavors. (7/24)
Alabama Senator Shelby Recast as Scrooge in NASA 'Christmas Carol'
(Source: DailyKos)
Imagine, if you will, that Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol has been
adapted into an allegory about NASA. Follow Senator Ebenezer Scrooge (R -
Alabama) as he is taken on a magical journey through time and space,
witnessing events as they occurred, are occurring, and will occur if the
status quo continues. Click here to read the story.
(7/21)
Constellation Gets $310M In NASA Stimulus Funding (Source: Space News)
NASA's Constellation program stands to get $310 million in stimulus funding
following Congress' signing off in mid-July on the agency's plan to spend the
$1 billion it received under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act
enacted in February. Another $90 million will be spent on NASA commercial
crew and cargo programs.
NASA waited months for lawmakers to approve the spending plan, which was
submitted to lawmakers in April. Congressional and industry sources said the
funds were held up by Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Ala.), who wanted all $400 million
the recovery act included for exploration to be spent on Constellation.
Although the initial spending plan included $400 million for space
exploration, NASA proposed to spend only $250 million on Constellation, with
the remaining $150 million going toward commercial crew and cargo systems.
(7/24)
ATK Unveils Ares-1 First Stage Demo Motor (Source: Hyperbola)
Alliant Techsystems released on 20 July an image of the first five segment
demonstration motor for NASA's Ares I crew launch vehicle first stage. Called
Demonstration Motor One or DM-1, it is set for ignition on 25 August. The
test had been set for 2 April and then 13 August. Between now and the new
date of 25 August ATK will install the instrumentation for the test. (7/21)
Ares V Minus Ares 1 = Ares IV (Source: NASA Watch)
Sources report that Steve King and his team are now focusing on a so-called
Ares IV architecture - a smaller, less powerful version of the Ares V - one
that would keep the current Ares-1 upperstage. Boeing seems to be in favor of
this option rather than one that would use EELVs. The Ares IV would be used
to launch crew or cargo missions. Editor's Note: This is a
departure from the post-Columbia policy to fly crew and cargo aboard two
separate vehicles. It also seems very similar to the Jupiter vehicle approach
that Marshall Ares-1 managers spent a lot of time discrediting. (7/24)
Interview with Ross Tierney of Direct Launch (Source: Next Big Future)
Here is an interview with Ross Tierney. Mr. Tierney is a representative of the
of the Direct Launcher organization, which has a proposal to get to the moon
using NASA shuttle components and other existing technology. This Jupiter
rocket system could also be used to go to near-earth objects and possibly
even Phobos and Mars. The Direct Launch system is based on the Jupiter
rocket, which can provide all of the capabilities of the NASA Ares system in
less time and at a fraction of the cost. Click here to view the
interview. (7/23)
NASA Delays Producing an Updated Workforce
Report
(Source: Orlando Sentinel)
Without saying as much, NASA threw up its hands today and admitted that it
doesn’t know what is going to happen with its human space flight program or
how many people are likely to remain employed by it. The agency released its
workforce report, four months late, but didn’t update its long-term job
forecasts from its last report in October 2008. Instead, updated numbers will
await findings of a presidentially appointed panel reviewing NASA’s current
moon rocket plans that's due to report next month.
The findings of the panel, which is headed by former Lockheed Marin CEO Norm
Augustine, could completely change NASA's direction and wipe out its current
employment plans. Today's forecast, the latest in a series that NASA must
submit to Congress, provides estimates only through the 2010 fiscal year --
while the space shuttle will still be flying.
The October 2008 report predicted at least 3,500 workers at KSC would lose
their jobs. But that figure is now seen as widely optimistic. Work on NASA’s
proposed Altair lunar lander, once promised to go to KSC, may now be up for
grabs. The "gap" between the last shuttle launch and the launch of
a new rocket to lift humans even to the international space station may
stretch past 2015. A local Brevard County study found that between 6,000 and
7,000 employees from KSC were likely to lose their jobs, twice the NASA
forecast. (7/22)
Space Coast Representatives React to NASA Workforce Report (Source:
Orlando Sentinel)
The fact that KSC still faces massive layoffs was not lost on Florida’s
representatives in Washington -- nor was the absence of new information in
the report. “It looks like a cut-and-paste,” said U.S. Rep. Bill Posey,
R-Rockledge, who said the report does little to forecast the future. “They
made clear nothing is certain.”
The freshman lawmaker also criticized how the White House has handled NASA
policy so far. In particular, he said President Barack Obama erred by not
appointing Charles Bolden as NASA administrator until last month -- though
Congress torpedoed Obama’s first two picks. “We’re eight months down the road
and we just got an administrator and we’re still waiting for a vision,” Posey
said.
Fellow freshman U.S. Rep. Suzanne Kosmas, D-Smyrna Beach, worried aloud that
"thousands of jobs remain at risk at Kennedy Space Center and throughout
Central Florida. I urge members of the Augustine Panel to focus on options
that mitigate the loss of the experienced and professional workforce at KSC
and NASA centers across the country,” she said. (7/22)
Space Coast Workforce Officials Await Augustine Panel Findings
(Source: Orlando Sentinel)
Judy Blanchard, with the Brevard Workforce Development Board’s aerospace
transition team, said she understands why NASA hasn't yet updated its
workforce projections. "Right now I understand and I believe I agree
with NASA’s findings," she said. "They too [like Brevard Workforce]
are waiting on factors that are controlling the numbers to play out...the
Augustine panel and their findings are going to have a direct impact on
this.”
She said that 6,000-7,000 figure that Workforce Brevard President Lisa Rice
expects to be unemployed when the shuttle program ends is an estimate based
on the possibility that there might be no jobs to absorb the losses at KSC.
With the economy is such bad shape, and so many workers' pensions worth a
fraction of what they were a few years ago, many KSC workers that the county
expected would retire at the end of the shuttle program now can no longer
afford to stop working. (7/23)
Florida Losing More Space Jobs Than Other States (Source: Orlando
Sentinel)
With an outdated forecast reaching only to the end of FY-2010, the latest
NASA workforce report ignores the announcement by United Space Alliance that
it would begin laying off 240 workers at KSC in October. The NASA report says
there will be no changes in the KSC workforce in FY-2009, which ends on Sept.
30 -- one day before USA is due to hand out its pink slips.
The report also said that other centers, like Marshall Space Flight Center in
Huntsville, Ala., and Johnson Space Flight Center in Houston, actually added
employees in the past year. Workers at KSC, who have become increasingly concerned
about their futures, are not likely to be fooled by the flat job-loss
numbers.
“I honestly think the workforce is savvier than then we give them credit
for,” said UCF's Dale Ketcham. “While it’s true we won’t know anything until
the Augustine Committee options are decided upon, workers here know that
regardless of what decisions are made, a painful transition has been KSC’s
fate for years now. The details are to be determined.”
Florida Corporate R&D Spending Increases, But Lags (Source: SSTI)
Corporate spending on R&D in Florida increased 21 percent between 2003 -
2007, moving from $3.181 billion up to $4.569 billion. Florida ranked 17th
overall, well behind the top states California ($64.2 billion), Massachusetts
($19.5 billion), New Jersey ($17.9 billion), Michigan ($15.7 billion), and
Texas ($13.9 billion). Florida's growth rate also lagged behind other states,
including Alabama's 77 percent growth over the same period. (7/19)
ULA Announces Plan for New Round of Job Cuts (Source: Space News)
U.S. government launch services provider United Launch Alliance (ULA) of
Denver has informed employees it will eliminate 224 positions across the
company in October, following a first round of 89 layoffs in February. ULA, a
Boeing-Lockheed Martin joint venture, said the reductions are necessary to
meet competitive challenges and future pricing assumptions. They are also
related to the closing out of ULA's Delta 2 rocket business, the completion
of the company's work on NASA's Ares 1-X test flight program and discontinued
government funding to accelerate the Atlas 5 launch manifest. (7/24)
ATK Layoffs to Trim up to 450 in October (Source: Standard-Examiner)
Employees at ATK Space Systems were notified Thursday that the company will
eliminate as many as 450 positions in October, with the majority of the cuts
happening in Utah. The layoffs are necessary because of cuts in federal
defense and space spending, and the upcoming conclusion of a missile program
the company does work for in Utah. "We regret having to do this in this
economic state we're in, but aerospace is getting hit across the board right
now," Patterson said. Most of the cuts will come from ATK's Utah
facilities, although a handful will come from facilities in Alabama and
Florida. (7/24)
'Shuttle Could Drive Me Out of Business' (Source: Daytona Beach
Hometown News)
When the space shuttle is scheduled to fly, a local business owner loses
money. For several hours before a shuttle flight, air traffic restrictions
are in place in a 40-mile circle around Cape Canaveral and that means banner
plane operator Remy Collins is grounded. Mr. Collins said he is losing
valuable summer business, especially when the shuttle is scheduled and then
scrubbed several days in a row as it was before the last flight.
Mr. Collins said another week like that and he could go out of business.
"I lost $10,000 last Sunday when the shuttle was scheduled," he
said. Mr. Collins said the restricted hours have been extended in recent
years. "They've increased the hours that I can't fly," he said.
"It used to be a couple of hours before the Shuttle flight. Now it's
eight hours." (7/24)
Space Florida Hosts Spaceport Executive Summit (Source: Space Florida)
Space Florida hosted a group of spaceport leaders from around the globe to
attend the Commercial Spaceflight Federation’s Spaceport Executive Summit,
the first such event of its kind. The Spaceports Executive Summit provided a
venue for global spaceport leaders to come together in one setting to discuss
best practices and challenges they face in further developing their
spaceports.
“The focus was dialog about common challenges and opportunities between
industry leaders, and we look forward to continuing long-term and robust
collaborative efforts,” said Space Florida's Frank DiBello. "At the
conclusion of the summit, the nine spaceport leaders all resolved to continue
working together and strengthen their efforts for cooperation and
collaboration," said Stuart Witt of the Mojave Spaceport. (7/24)
Contest Supports Cecil Field Spaceport, Offers NASTAR Training
(Source: eSpaceTickets.com)
eSpaceTickets.com was founded to give everyday ordinary people the
opportunity to journey to space. They're initiating a national grass-roots
support campaign for Cecil Field Spaceport with a prize competition. Their
goal is for Cecil Field Spaceport to be a world-class spaceport for the
everyday person. Their prize is a space flight preparation, training and
genuine space experiences available at the NASTAR Center. This space tourism
prize is valued at $3,000 plus airfare. Visit www.espacetickets.com for information. (7/24)
Wallops a 'Hidden Jewel' (Source: DelMarVaNow.com)
Forty years after astronaut Neil Armstrong set foot on the moon, two busloads
of Delmarva's movers and shakers this week got a peek at the Mid-Atlantic
Regional Spaceport, which supporters hope will be the next space venture to
capture the public's imagination. The tour was organized by the Greater
Salisbury Committee. Also touring the spaceport were elected officials, along
with economic development and tourism representatives, all of whom were
allowed to walk around the control room and a launch pad and view NASA and
Navy facilities on Wallops Island. (7/25)
NASA Langley 'Builds' For The Future (Source: Space Daily)
Building on nearly a century of exploration, aeronautics research and
scientific discovery, NASA's Langley Research Center has broken ground for
the first building in its "New Town" program, a $200 million
facility improvement project designed to enhance mission performance
capabilities and renew current facilities. In partnership with the U.S.
General Services Administration (GSA), NASA developed a master plan for
modernizing the Langley infrastructure, while simultaneously reducing
operations and maintenance costs. (7/20)
Hawaii Wins World's Largest Telescope With
Pricetag of $1.2 Billion (Source: Refreshing News)
A consortium of U.S. and Canadian universities has decided to build the
world's largest telescope in Hawaii. Thirty Meter Telescope Observatory Corp.
picked Mauna Kea volcano instead of Chile's Cerro Armazones mountain, the
other finalist candidate site. The $1.2 billion telescope should allow
scientists to see some 13 billion light years away — a distance so great and
so far back in time that researchers should be able to watch the first stars
and galaxies forming.
The telescope will be built by the University of California, the California
Institute of Technology and the Association of Canadian Universities for
Research in Astronomy. Its mirror will stretch 30 meters, or almost 100 feet,
in diameter. That's about three times the diameter of the current world's
largest telescopes, which are located atop Mauna Kea. (7/21)
James Webb Telescope To Receive Stimulus Funding (Source: Space News)
NASA plans to spend $65 million of its $1 billion in economic stimulus money
to help pay for an existing contract with Northrop Grumman Corp. to complete
some design and integration work on the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST).
Los Angeles-based Northrop Grumman is NASA's prime contractor for the $4.5
billion JWST program. The infrared telescope is planned for launch in 2014
aboard an Ariane 5 rocket provided by the European Space Agency. (7/24)
Huge Telescope Opens in Spain's Canary Islands (Source: AP)
One of the world's most powerful telescopes opened its shutters for the first
time Friday to begin exploring faint light from distant parts of the
universe. The Gran Telescopio Canarias, a $185 million telescope featuring a
34-foot (10.4-meter) reflecting mirror, sits atop an extinct volcano. Its
location above cloud cover takes advantage of the pristine skies in the
Atlantic Ocean. Planning for the telescope began in 1987 and has involved
more than 1,000 people from 100 companies. It was inaugurated Friday by King
Juan Carlos. The observatory is located at 2,400 meters (7,870 feet) above
sea-level where prevailing winds keep the atmosphere stable and transparent,
the Canary Islands Astrophysics Institute said. The institute, which runs the
telescope, said it will capture the birth of stars, study characteristics of
black holes and decipher some of the chemical components of the Big Bang.
(7/24)
China's First Space Telescope Anticipated
to be Launched in 2012 (Source: Xinhua)
The predicted launch time of China's first space telescope is in 2012, and
will be used to observe space black holes, said the chief scientist of the
program Thursday. The Hard X-ray Modulation Telescope (HXMT) comprises three
to four single telescopes equipped with hard X-ray detectors, instead of
optical lenses, said Li Tipei, an academician with the Chinese Academy of
Sciences (CAS). (7/23)
China
To Build Stronger Telescope Network In South Pole (Source: Space
Daily)
Chinese astronomers will set up a stronger telescope network on Dome A, the
top of the south pole, after the initial success in January, 2008. Gong
Xuefei, an astronomer involved in the telescope project, said at a
cross-Straits forum on astronomical instruments that the new telescopes are
being tested and the first of them is expected to be installed in the south
pole in summers of 2010 and 2011. The new network Antarctic Schmidt
Telescopes 3 (AST3) is made up of three Schmidt telescopes with an aperture
of 50 cm. (7/23)
Is it
Time to Invite China to the Space Party? (Source: Discovery Channel)
Adding China to the station program could expand the international cultural
melding blossoming in orbit, give Obama a Kennedy-esque platform from which
to flex his space muscles and maybe inspire common ground for solving a whole
bunch of other troubling issues that divide the U.S. and China, such as human
rights, free speech, copyright infringement, etc., etc. (7/26)
Telespazio
and Turkish MoD Sign Contract To Build Gokturk Satellite System (Source: Space
Daily)
Telespazio and Undersecretariat For Defence Industries (SSM - Turkish Defence
Ministry), in the presence of the Italian Undersecretary of State for Defence
hon. Giuseppe Cossiga, have signed a contract in Ankara worth over EUR 250
million for the construction of the Gokturk satellite system. (7/20)
Turkey
Expecting Satellite Deal to Spark Homegrown Space Industry (Source: Space
News)
The Turkish government's contract with Telespazio to provide a
high-resolution optical Earth observation satellite, plus training and ground
facilities to develop Turkey's space industry, includes a feature that
Turkish authorities say will result in the equivalent of $455 million in
contracts being awarded to Turkish industry. In addition, Turkish industry is
expected to be given contracts equivalent to 20 percent of the face value of
the $353 million Gokturk satellite project. (7/24)
Launch
of UAE Satellite Postponed (Source: Taragana.com)
The launch of the United Arab Emirates’ first remote sensing satellite
DubaiSat-1, scheduled Saturday, has been postponed to July 29, WAM news
agency reported. The Emirates Institution for Advanced Science and Technology
(EIAST) announced that the launch was postponed by the launching company —
International Space Company (Cosmotras) — to undertake some safety and
security tests. DubaiSat-1 is the first remote sensing satellite owned by the
UAE and is designed to provide up-to-date spatial and earth monitoring data.
(7/26)
UK Eyes NASA-Style Agency (Source: Space News)
The British government, which for years has invited other European nations to
view its way of funding space programs as the way of the future, is now
considering whether to abandon its current approach in favor of a classic
NASA-style space agency. Lord Drayson, Britain's science and innovation
minister, said his office has given itself 12 weeks to consult with the
public, industry, academia and other government departments to determine
whether the British National Space Center (BNSC) should have its own budget,
as is the case in France, Germany, Italy and at the European Space Agency
(ESA), where three-quarters of Britain's space budget is spent. (7/24)
Editorial: UK Should Ditch Trident to go to Mars (Source: Telegraph)
The biggest obstacle to a British-led mission to Mars is money. But in 2002
the Russians announced their plans to lead a manned mission to the red
planet. And guess how much they estimated it would cost? 20 billion dollars –
expensive, but worth it. Britain could afford its own mission. All we have to
do is see common sense and ditch plans to replace our worthless Trident
nuclear missiles. (7/20)
Italy Skeptical of U.S. European Mars Collaboration (Source: Space
News)
The Italian Space Agency (ASI), which up to now has taken the lead role in Europe's
ExoMars lander and rover mission, is deeply skeptical of a planned
U.S.-European collaboration on Mars exploration expected to lead to the de
facto dismantling of ExoMars as originally planned, ASI President Enrico
Saggese said. Saggese said ExoMars appears to have been sacrificed on behalf
of a long-term collaboration between NASA and the European Space Agency
(ESA). (7/24)
Europe's
Mars Rover Slips to 2018 (Source: BBC)
Europe's flagship robotic rover mission to Mars now looks certain to leave Earth
in 2018, two years later than recently proposed, the BBC understands. The
ExoMars vehicle is intended to search the Red Planet for signs of past or
present life. The delay is the third for the mission originally planned to
launch in 2011. While the switch will disappoint many people, officials say
the change will open up a greatly expanded program of exploration at the Red
Planet. (7/26)
Accord Permits India to Launch U.S.
Hardware
(Source: Space News)
India and the United States have signed a Technology Safeguards Agreement
that permits India to launch civil or other non-commercial satellites
containing U.S. components. (7/24)
Political Science: Why the USSR Lost the Space Race (Source: What's
New)
Launched on 4 Oct 1957, Sputnik carried no instruments. It just beeped as it
passed overhead to taunt Americans. But a month later, Sputnik 2 carried a
Geiger tube and a radio transmitter to relay the Geiger output back to Earth.
It also carried a tape recorder to store data when the satellite is over the horizon,
but it wasn't working on launch day. Soviet scientists placed a call directly
to Premier Nikita Khrushchev requesting permission to delay the launch for a
day, but Khrushchev refused; he wanted to announce another successful launch
at a meeting of heads-of-state the next day
At the very dawn of the space age, politics
was already getting in the way of scientific discovery. Thus it was that the
Soviet Union failed discover the Van Allen Belts. On 31 Jan 1958, only four
months after Sputnik, the US launched Explorer 1 carrying an experiment
designed by James Van Allen, Physics Chair at the University of Iowa. It was
just a Geiger tube, a radio transmitter, and a recorder -- but the recorder
worked. (7/24)
Russian Sexual Discrimination in Space (Source: Russia Today)
Twenty-five years ago Russian cosmonaut Svetlana Savitskaya became the second
woman to travel into orbit, the first also Russian, but she was the first
woman to walk in space. Svetlana was 36 when she was thrust into the Cold War
space race. While in orbit she undertook hours of experiments and, in doing
so, broke new ground for women to join the front line of space exploration.
It is true the standing of the whole country was at stake, but Svetlana says
her mission was tough for other reasons, as she also was the first to fight
against sex discrimination. “Even among our space-colleagues there were men
wondering why we needed to weld and said that we might burn each other’s
space suits or the spaceship’s exterior. It is a great responsibility,”
Savitskaya said. “If I listen to their concerns, then people could have said
that surely it was not something women should do. But after my spaceflight,
everyone had to shut up.” (7/25)
Russian Missile Designer Quits After Test Failures (Source: AFP)
The head of the institute developing a sea-based version of Russia's newest
strategic missile has quit following repeated failures of the weapon in
testing. Yury Solomonov, head of the Moscow Institute of Thermal Technology,
was the most senior official to date to take responsibility for the string of
failures of the Bulava intercontinental ballistic missile, currently in
development. His resignation would most likely be accepted as the Russian
space agency Roskosmos believed that the institute that has spearheaded
development of the Bulava required changes in its management structure.
(7/22)
Russia Launches Two Satellites (Source: SpaceToday.net)
A Kosmos rocket launched two satellites into orbit early Tuesday. The
Kosmos-3M rocket lifted off from the Plesetsk spaceport in northern Russia
and placed two small satellites into low Earth orbit. One satellite is a
military satellite, most likely a Parus-series navigation satellite. The
other satellite, Sterkh 1, is designed to be part of the international COSPAS-SARSAT
search-and-rescue satellite system. (7/22)
Russian Cargo Spaceship Launches to ISS with Supplies, Mail (Source:
Xinhua)
A Russian space freighter carrying supplies, gifts and mail for the
International Space Station blasted off on Friday, Mission Control officials
said. The Mission Control Center outside Moscow said a Soyuz-U rocket lifted
off with the Progress M-67 space freighter from the Baikonur spaceport in
Kazakhstan. The space freighter will deliver 2.5 tons of supplies, including
food, water, fuel, and equipment, and letters and gifts from relatives of the
crew. (7/24)
Astronauts Finish ISS Battery Changeout (Source: Aviation Week)
Spacewalkers Chris Cassidy and Tom Marshburn were able to finish replacing
the oldest set of batteries on the International Space Station July 24,
catching up on a task that was halted abruptly on July 22 when the carbon
dioxide level in Cassidy's spacesuit started rising during the third
extravehicular activity (EVA) of the STS-127 mission.
As a result, planners rewrote the timeline for the fourth EVA to accommodate
the work left undone. Originally Cassidy and astronaut Dave Wolf were to have
replaced four of the six batteries in the P6 truss element on July 22,
leaving only two more for the July 24 spacewalk. (7/25)
Space Station Astronauts Fix Broken Toilet (Source: Space Daily)
NASA avoided a rather messy situation in space Monday after giving astronauts
aboard the International Space Station the green light to use a toilet after
crew members worked for a day to repair it. "The US Destiny lab toilet
has been repaired and checked out. The crew has been given a "go"
to use it. All three toilets are working," (7/20)
XCOR
Tests Lynx Design in USAF Wind Tunnel (Source: XCOR)
XCOR Aerospace, Inc., announced today that it has finished a series of
subsonic wind tunnel tests of the aerodynamic design of its Lynx suborbital
launch vehicle. The tests took place at the U.S. Air Force test facility
located at Wright-Patterson Air Base using an all-metal 1/16th scale model of
the Lynx. (7/24)
Armadillo Moves Toward Scientific Payloads
with Test Flights
(Source: Parabolic Arc)
Armadillo Aerospace conducted two groundbreaking atmospheric test flights in
Texas this weekend with their “Mod” vertical-takeoff-vertical-landing rocket,
a vehicle familiar to anyone who has followed NASA’s Lunar Lander Challenge
competitions. Professor Steven Collicott of Purdue University was on hand to
watch the launch. Professor Collicott has been leading a group of Purdue
University students in developing a fluid-mechanics science payload that they
plan to fly soon with Armadillo.
The work between Purdue University and Armadillo Aerospace is serving as a
pathfinder effort for future integration of other science payloads on
commercial suborbital vehicles. Large numbers of research flights on a
variety of suborbital vehicles are envisioned under NASA’s Commercial
Suborbital Research Program, based at the NASA Ames Research Center, and
scientists are eager to begin working with vehicle developers to get
experience integrating science payloads with vehicles. (7/25)
How to Glue Together a Lighter Spacecraft (Source: New Scientist)
Rocket-driven spacecraft normally use strong, heavy-metal mountings to hold their
fuel tanks in place within the fuselage. But there may be a better way. Burt
Rutan, the aerospace pioneer whose firm Scaled Composites is designing
civilian suborbital spacecraft for Virgin Galactic, is using an alternative
technique to secure the fuel tanks in order to keep the weight of the space
plane down.
Rutan says the use of heavy mountings can be avoided completely by careful
design of the tank and fuselage. His idea, described in a US patent granted
last month, is to glue the fuel tanks to the inside of the craft. His tanks
have a cylindrical composite-coated midsection that fits snugly inside the
spacecraft and is bonded to the inner surface of the fuselage with a
superstrong industrial adhesive. A secure fit is crucial as the tanks are connected
to the combustion chamber where fuel is burned, and any movement could risk a
dangerous leak. (7/25)
Wait a Bit Longer for Your Galactic Vacation (Source: WIRED)
It’s been five years since SpaceShipOne promised to open space to the masses.
So where’s your ride on a rocket? Still under development. Five years ago,
there was a lot of buzz about the average person flying to the edge of space
and enjoying a little weightlessness. But in the years since, a shortage of
funding has dashed the dreams of future astronauts. Several companies that
promised to take us beyond atmosphere have quit the space race and others
have gone quiet. Like everything else, the fledgling space tourism biz has
been hit hard by the economic downturn. Building space ships isn’t cheap, and
when the flow of capital slowed, so too did the development. But George
French, CEO of Rocketplane, says things are starting to look better. (7/22)
Embry-Riddle Launches Its Ph.D. Programs to Meet New Challenges in
Aviation/Aerospace (Source: ERAU)
The daily challenges of aviation and aerospace are too complex to be solved
by specialists alone. In an uncertain economy, airlines struggle to hedge
fuel purchases and adjust routes. Space agencies work to stabilize orbiting
spacecraft, study the atmosphere and space weather, and design rovers to
explore planets.
To serve the need for more broadly educated experts, Embry-Riddle
Aeronautical University is launching its first two Ph.D. degree programs – in
Aviation and Engineering Physics. The new degrees take the university’s
unique approach to education – a blend of theory and applied research – to
the highest level.
The Ph.D. in Engineering Physics builds on the university’s solid program of
space research, which is funded by NASA, the National Science Foundation,
U.S. Air Force, and other agencies. Faculty researchers probe Earth’s upper
atmosphere for clues about global warming, as well as space weather events
like solar storms that can compromise satellite systems and disrupt power
grids and pipelines. Others conduct studies of spacecraft dynamics and
control, space robotics, cosmology and star formation, quantum optics, and
the physiology of space travel. (7/23)
Embry-Riddle Space Physicist Wins Prestigious NSF CAREER Award
(Source: ERAU)
Embry-Riddle scientist Dr. Katariina Nykyri has received the National Science
Foundation’s most prestigious award for junior faculty members, the Faculty
Early Career Development (CAREER) grant, to support her continuing research
into space plasma that may improve our understanding of plasma heating and
transport through magnetic boundaries. Dr. Nykyri, an assistant professor in
the Physical Sciences Dept. at Embry-Riddle’s Daytona Beach campus, will
receive $483,699 over the next five years from the NSF award program that
encourages the activities of teacher-scholars who are judged likely to become
leaders in academic research and education. (7/23)
Embry-Riddle and UCF Offer Joint Master’s Degree in Modeling and
Simulation (Source: ERAU)
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and the University of Central Florida
(UCF) have teamed up to offer graduate courses leading to a master’s degree
in modeling and simulation from UCF. The two universities designed the
program for working professionals who wish to expand their knowledge and
skills in modeling and simulation, and who will pursue the degree as
part-time students. This two-year master’s program will be offered every fall
starting in 2009. The program will include a graduate internship and eight
technical courses delivered by UCF in an online format. (7/19)
NASA Student Airborne Research Program Takes Flight in California
(Source: NASA)
Twenty-nine undergraduate and graduate students are participating in a
six-week NASA Airborne Science field experience designed to immerse them in
NASA's Earth Science research. The students represent 26 colleges and
universities across the U.S. and nine foreign countries.
NASA's Student Airborne Research program runs from July 6 to Aug. 14 in
California. The program began with lectures from university faculty members,
research institutions and NASA scientists at the University of California,
Irvine. One of the speakers is Sherwood Rowland of the University of
California, Irvine, a Nobel Laureate in chemistry, who is a long-time user of
NASA's DC-8 airborne capabilities for his research on atmospheric chemistry.
(7/23)
Seven Astronaut Teacher Candidates Announced for Suborbital Flights
(Source: Parabolic Arc)
At the NewSpace 2009 conference in Mountain View, Calif., Teachers in Space introduced
the next generation of space explorers: seven astronaut teachers who will
boldly go where no astronaut has gone before — back into the classroom.
“Fifty years after the Mercury 7, on the 40th anniversary of the Apollo Moon
landing, we’re rebooting the American space program,” said Teachers in Space
project manager Edward Wright said. “The Pathfinder 7 are now training to fly
on suborbital spacecraft under development by private companies. They will be
the first astronaut teachers to fly in space and return to the classroom,
paving the way for hundreds to follow.” (7/21)
You're Not the Center Of the Universe, You Know (Source: Washington
Post)
Walk into an open field on a clear, moonless night. Overhead, sparkling stars
sprinkle the sky. All of them seem equidistant from you -- and no one else --
and you are lulled into imagining yourself at the center of the universe. For
nearly 500 years, astronomers have struggled to break that illusion. Our
petty standing in the cosmos is a scientific fact, if not a visceral
experience. Earth zips at nearly 67,000 miles an hour around the sun, which
in turn completes one lap around the Milky Way every 220 million years,
meaning that the last time we were in this neck of the galaxy, dinosaurs were
getting ready to rule the planet. Still, as you look skyward in that
pitch-black field, Earth seems to be at the heart of all creation.
...More startling, our universe may not be the only one. As physicists
attempt to construct a theory that unifies all the forces of nature, one
theme repeatedly arises: that additional cosmic realms may be lurking in
other dimensions. We could be part of the multiverse; the Big Bang might have
occurred when universes outside our dimensional borders bumped into one
another. Click here to view the
article. (7/20)
Construction in the Final Frontier (Source: ThomasNet)
Constructing buildings today is no easy task. But building structures in space
presents a new set of unique challenges. Here we look at the particulars of
non-terrestrial building projects. In the long history of construction,
building beyond our planet's boundaries is a relatively new innovation, which
explains why we're still hammering out some of the kinks. Delivering
materials and assembling parts in an airless, gravity-free vacuum can be a
painstaking endeavor further complicated by limits in the number of workers
available at a given time.
Despite these challenges, aerospace agencies from around the globe have
achieved impressive feats of space construction, most remarkably the
International Space Station (ISS). The space shuttle Endeavour's much-delayed
mission STS-127 finally launched last Wednesday. It will be a 16-day long
project to complete construction on Japan's Kibo laboratory in the ISS, and
will be tied for the longest flight in the station's history. (7/21)
The New Politics of Planetary Defense (Source: Space Review)
A change in administrations had led to a change in how national security
risks are assessed. Taylor Dinerman argues that planetary defense --
protecting the Earth from potentially hazardous asteroids and comets --
should play a role in those revised assessments. Visit http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1418/1 to view the
article. (7/20)
Race is On for Space-Junk Alarm System (Source: New
Scientist)
A worldwide network of radar stations could tackle the ever-growing problem
of space debris - the remains of old rockets and satellites that pose an
increasing threat to spacecraft. The US government is launching a
competition, which will run until the end of 2010, to find the best way of
tracking pieces of junk down to the size of a pool ball. Three aerospace
companies - Northrop Grumman, Lockheed-Martin and Raytheon - have each been
awarded $30 million by US Air Force Space Command to design a "space
fence" that will constantly report the motion of all objects 5
centimeters wide and larger in medium and low-Earth orbits. (7/26)
U.S. Air Force Secretary Appeals for More ORS Satellite Funding
(Source: Space News)
U.S. Air Force Secretary Michael Donley is urging Congress to boost funding
in 2009 and 2010 for an Operationally Responsive Space (ORS) Office
reconnaissance satellite that otherwise will fall behind schedule. (7/24)
House
Appropriators Shift DOD Space Funding (Source: Space Policy Online)
The House Appropriations Committee has approved a $636 billion DOD budget for
FY-2010, including the following space-related program increases and
reductions: $1.3 billion for three EELV missions ($55.7 million above the
president's request); $122 million for the Space Based Space Surveillance
System ($55 million below the request); $389.4 million for GPS III ($97.4
million below the request), $39 million for the Third Generation Infrared
Satellite ($104 million below the request); $1.8 billion for a fourth
Advanced Extremely High Frequency communications satellite (matching the
request); and $626.7 million for the Wideband Global Satellite System ($425
million above the request). (7/22)
Intelligence Bill Calls for Space Coordination Office (Source: Space
News)
A Senate panel recommended July 22 the creation of a new office within the
Office of the Director of National Intelligence to coordinate and provide
policy direction for the management of space-related intelligence assets.
(7/24)
U.S. Space Policy Review Under Way (Source: Aviation Week)
National Security Adviser James Jones is conducting a government-wide review
of U.S. space policy at the request of President Barack Obama. NASA
Administrator Charles Bolden said Jones - like Bolden a retired Marine Corps
general officer - was directed to "review our present policy and decide
whether it is in keeping with our vision of the 21st century and where we
want to go, and try to come up with a coherent space policy into which NASA
and our plans fit.
"He has already started getting together representatives from all the
space communities in the country - that's DOD, NASA, commercial space,
Department of Transportation and anybody else that has space assets, and
science people," Bolden said. Bolden and Lori Garver, NASA's deputy
administrator, were to meet with White House Science Adviser John Holdren on
July 21 to establish their agency's role in the White House review. (7/22)
Hylas Satellite Moves from SpaceX to Arianespace for Launch (Source:
Hyperbola)
Avanti Communications has chosen Arianespace to launch the HYLAS
telecommunications satellite. The launch of the HYLAS satellite is planned
for the first semester of 2010, using an Ariane 5 or Soyuz launcher from the
Guiana Space Center, Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana. The satellite will
weigh about 2,750 kg at launch, and has a design life exceeding 15 years. The
satellite had previously been scheduled for launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon-9
rocket. (7/22)
GoreSat is Back (Source: NASA Watch)
According to the Senate Armed Services Committee report on the National
Defense Authorization Act for FY 2010 Triana (aka "DSCOVR" or
"GoreSat") is back: "The Air Force is very interested in the
space weather information and is part of an interagency team looking at the
possibility of refurbishing DSCOVR and launching it to an orbit referred to
as L1, about one million miles from Earth on a line with the Sun. If the team
determines that the satellite can be refurbished and launched, they will make
a recommendation to the President. Notionally, NOAA and NASA would pay for
refurbishing the satellite, the Air Force would pay for the launch, and all
agencies would receive the data." (7/23)
MDA Wins Polar Satellite Contract (Source: CBC)
The Canadian Space Agency has asked space robotics firm MacDonald, Dettwiler
and Associates to come up with a plan to put two satellites in space over the
North to improve communications and weather observation in the region. MDA
announced Thursday it was awarded a $4.3-million contract to develop the
concept for the Polar Communications and Weather (PCW) mission. The mission
is to launch two satellites in an elliptical orbit around Northern regions to
assist in Canadians operations in the north, including those dealing with
protecting Canadian sovereignty. (7/24)
Spot 2 Satellite Retired After 19 Years (Source: Space News)
The French Spot 2 Earth observation satellite, launched in 1990 for what was
intended to be three years of service, is being retired after 19 years of
uninterrupted operations and will be guided into a graveyard orbit by July
30, the French space agency, CNES, announced July 23. (7/24)
Reprogramming Satellites During Flight (Source: MIT
Technology Review)
Researchers in Germany have developed satellites that can be radically
reconfigured in orbit. The approach could ultimately lead to multitasking
satellites capable of switching, for example, from detecting pollution to
searching for earthlike planets. The researchers, led by Toshinori Kuwahara
of the Institute of Space Systems at the University of Stuttgart, plan to
launch a test satellite called Flying Laptop in 2012. The spacecraft's
onboard computer will be able to reconfigure its own electronic hardware.
(7/23)
Boeing Ends Protest Over $1.1 Billion Satellite Job (Source: Wall
Street Journal)
Boeing, ending a months-long battle over a government weather-satellite contract,
on Tuesday withdrew its protest and cleared the way for rival Lockheed Martin
Corp. to sign a contract potentially worth $1.1 billion. The latest move ends
efforts by the General Accountability Office to look into what Boeing alleged
were "serious flaws and lack of transparency" in NASA's decision to
choose Lockheed for the work. The job calls for building as many as four
GOES-R civilian weather satellites, designed to improve the accuracy and
timeliness of federal weather forecasting.
In a statement, Boeing said it decided to withdraw its protest "after
gaining additional insight into the re-evaluation" of how Lockheed
emerged as the winner. Boeing had protested the decision and the GAO opened a
review. But that GAO effort was never completed because NASA agreed to
re-evaluate the bids. After NASA officials upheld their original award,
Boeing formally asked the GAO a second time to re-examine the way the
acquisition was handled. That protest was filed under seal, and it isn't
clear why Boeing decided to withdraw it. Boeing, which won the previous GOES
satellite contract, had been hoping that another award would help keep a
steady flow of work through its Southern California satellite-making complex.
(7/22)
Boeing Profit Climbs in 2Q on Strong Defense Sales (Source: AP)
Boeing's second-quarter earnings rose 17 percent from a year earlier, when a
charge weighed down results. Higher defense sales and lower costs in its
commercial aircraft division boosted the company's profit in the latest
period. Boeing earned $998 million for the three months ended June 30,
compared with $852 million during the same period last year, which included a
charge of 22 cents per share for late delivery of military aircraft. Revenue
edged up 1 percent to $17.15 billion from $16.96 billion in the year-earlier
period. (7/22)
Raytheon Boosts 2009 Profit Outlook Following Strong Quarter (Source:
AIA)
Strong sales of air-defense systems helped Raytheon to a 15% jump in
second-quarter profit, beating analysts' expectations. Missile tests by North
Korea led to increased orders from South Korea and Japan, and "Raytheon
stands out as the international sales leader among the primes,"
according to JPMorgan Chase analyst Joseph Nadol. (7/23)
Northrop 2nd Quarter Profit Drops 20 Percent (Source: AP)
Northrop Grumman Corp.'s second quarter profit dropped by 20 percent as the
No. 2 defense contractor said it was hurt by higher pension costs and higher
estimates of costs to complete several ships being built in its Gulf Coast
yards. Northrop earned $394 million in the three months ended June 30, down
from $495 million a year ago. Revenue rose 4 percent to $8.96 billion from
$8.63 billion a year ago. (7/23)
L-3 Beats Q2 Estimates with $225M Profit (Source: AIA)
L-3 Communications Holdings said a surprising 6% gain in net sales
contributed to a second-quarter profit of $225 million -- down from last
year's $275 million, but still above analysts' expectations. "We expect
to continue to have opportunities to grow our businesses in the second half
of 2009, maintain our strong program performance, deliver value for our
customers and execute our plan for the year," said CEO Michael
Strianese. (7/23)
Lockheed Martin 2Q Profit down 17 Percent (Source: AP)
Lockheed Martin Corp. said its second-quarter earnings fell nearly 17
percent, as large pension expenses dug into the defense contractor's bottom
line and the company's government-services unit posted disappointing results.
The results come as Lockheed and the rest of the defense industry continue to
digest the effects of a broad shift in spending priorities at the Pentagon,
their biggest customer. The company earned $734 million, compared to $882
million last year. Revenue rose about 2 percent to $11.24 billion. (7/21)
Apollo 11 Anniversary Day in Florida (Source: EOG)
Governor Charlie Crist declared Apollo 11 Anniversary Day in recognition of
Floridians who have played a vital role in our nation’s space program. Today,
Floridians can join together in celebration of the Apollo II 40th
Anniversary, the day three courageous Americans Neil Armstrong, Edwin
"Buzz" Aldrin, and Michael Collins launched from NASA’s John F.
Kennedy Space Center in Florida. It was their mission to the Moon that
forever shaped the future of space exploration in America, and it continues
to be Floridians who serve such a vital role in our nation’s space program.
“The benefits of America’s space program have led to advances in science and
technology, including the fields of medicine, transportation, public safety,
and environmental preservation,” said Governor Crist. “Our state and its
leaders are committed to Florida’s aerospace industry, and we are convinced
the future center of gravity for the space industry must remain in Florida.”
(7/20)
Armstrong Snubs Pelosi Autograph Request (Source: The Hill)
Speaker Nancy Pelosi got dissed by astronaut Neil Armstrong after a ceremony
at which the California Democrat honored the moonwalking hero and his
historic Apollo 11 flight. After the event marking the 40th anniversary of
Armstrong’s “giant leap for mankind,” held in the Cannon House Office
Building on Tuesday, an admiring Pelosi approached Armstrong with pen in
hand, a witness said.
Pelosi asked the publicity-shy former astronaut to autograph something for
her, but he wouldn’t oblige. “I’m sorry, I don’t do that anymore,” Armstrong
informed the autograph-seeker. Turns out, Pelosi shouldn’t take his put-down
personally. Armstrong reportedly refuses all autograph requests, no matter
how powerful the person asking. He stopped giving out his John Hancock years
ago, news reports say, fearing forgeries and concerned about those making
large amounts of money from autographed items. (7/22)
Hornet to Commemorate Role in Apollo Missions (Source: San Francisco
Chronicle)
Forty years ago, the crew of the aircraft carrier Hornet recovered the three
Apollo 11 astronauts after their command module splashed down in the Pacific
returning from their historic mission to the moon. Three months later, the
ship recovered the crew of Apollo 12, whose three astronauts had completed
the second successful lunar mission. The Hornet is now a museum docked at the
former Alameda Naval Air Station, where veterans of the two recovery missions
will celebrate those events at Splashdown 2009. (7/23)
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