|
March
17, 2008
California's Lieutenant
Governor Issues Statement on Export Control Policy (Source: CSA)
California Lt. Governor John Garamendi issued a statement for the
record that was read during the Aerospace States Association (ASA)
Capitol Hill hearing on export controls in Washington, DC last week.
ASA called the hearing to bring attention to the unintended
consequences of current U.S. export control policies
and practices. Panelists representing industry, academia, government,
and the media testified to ASA delegates. ASA is a scientific and
educational organization comprised of Lt. Governors and
Governor-appointed delegates that promotes a state-based perspective in
federal aerospace policy development. Visit http://www.californiaspaceauthority.org/images/press-releases/pr080311-1.pdf for information.
California Space Week
in DC (Source:
CSA)
Fifty-two members of the California space enterprise
community traveled to Washington, D.C., and met with key
executive branch officials as well as the California Congressional delegation
during the 10th Annual California Space Week. During the meetings,
they focused upon five issues of vital importance to California space enterprise: (1)
full funding for NASA, (2) adequate resources for DoD space programs,
(3) a technical workforce of the future, (4) export licensing, and (5)
space venturing.
http://www.californiaspaceauthority.org/spaceweekdc2008/registration.html
Photos:
http://www.californiaspaceauthority.org/spaceweekdc2008/SpWk08-photos.html
AIAA Applauds Initiative to Modify Nation's Export Controls
(Source: AIAA)
The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) welcomes
the proposal by the National Security Space Office (NSSO) to prudently
but meaningfully modify the federal government's export control regime,
including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR).
Controls on critical technology are essential to safeguard national
security, but any policy must be measured by its actual effect on
economic security as well as national security. As currently
implemented, ITAR has adversely affected the strength and vibrancy of
the domestic space industrial base.
Many other nations are now pursuing their own space programs, from
operational control of communications satellites to manned space
exploration, challenging U.S. preeminence in commercial
and defense space capabilities. AIAA supports the NSSO's view that a
targeted, strategic revision of export control policy is needed to
ensure continued U.S. leadership in space
technology. To that end, a public hearing organized by the Aerospace
States Association was held on prospective strategic changes to the
national export control regime. Over a dozen entities from industry,
academia, government and the media sent representatives.
Space Weapons Agreements, Treaties, and Politics (Source:
Space Review)
Recent events have renewed the debate on the effectiveness of a treaty
banning space weapons. Taylor Dinerman discusses the arguments made in
opposition to such a treaty made by a senior State Department official
last week. Visit http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1078/1
to view the article.
China (and India) Outpacing NASA on Human
Capital for Space (Source: Houston
Chronicle)
"When I [NASA’s Mike Griffin] talk to senior Chinese officials, I don't
ask them how much they are spending. I ask how many people are involved
in their program. And they have told me on three occasions that their
total effort is about 200,000 people. NASA's budget buys 80,000 people.
Now they've got some catch-up ball to play, but they've got more
people, and it's a significant effort. By the way, everything that
we've just said about China, you could say about India. India is making enormous
strides in upgrading its space program.”
China to Use Jumbo Rocket for Delivery of Lunar Rover, Space
Station (Source: Xinhua)
A Chinese space expert said the Long March 5 large-thrust carrier
rocket, currently under development and scheduled to be put into
service in 2014, will be mainly used for the delivery of lunar rovers,
large satellites and space stations. "With a maximum payload capacity
up to 25 tons, the jumbo rocket is expected to be able to send lunar
rovers, large satellites and space stations into space after 2014,"
said Liang Xiaohong, vice president of the China Academy of Launch
Vehicle Technology. The rocket's development was approved by the
central authorities in 2007 following two decades of feasibility study.
China's Recoverable Moon Rover Expected In 2017 (Source:
SpaceDaily.com)
Beijing (XNA) Mar 12, 2008 - China will have a recoverable moon rover,
which will carry back lunar soil samples, by 2017 if technical research
"progresses smoothly," said the chief designer of Chang'e-1, the
country's first moon probe, here Tuesday. China plans to land a probe on
the moon in 2013.
South Korea Changes Astronaut for
April Mission (Source: SpaceToday.net)
South Korean officials have replaced the man who was scheduled to be
the first Korean in space with his alternate after he broke rules
during training. Ko San, a 31-year-old technology researcher, was
selected in September to fly to the ISS on a Soyuz taxi flight to the
ISS next month. However, South Korea's Ministry of Education,
Science and Technology replaced him Monday after Russian officials
cited two rules violations by Ko: he shipped a training manual back
home and also reviewed a manual containing information that he was not
authorized to see. Ko will be replaced by his alternate, Yi So-yeon, a
29-year-old biotechnology researcher. The two were named finalists in
late 2006 out of 36,000 who participated in a national competition; Yi
trained in parallel with Ko after Ko was named to the flight in
September. Yi will become only the second Asian woman to fly in space.
India to Launch Dedicated
Meteorological Satellite (Source: India PR Wire)
India is set to launch an
advanced meteorological satellite by the end of this year to boost its
weather forecasting capabilities. The satellite INSAT-3D will give
'quantum jump in satellite meteorology', P.S. Goel, secretary of the
Ministry of Earth Sciences, said. This satellite is almost similar to
GOES Satellites of the US and will have six channel
imagers. The INSAT-3D data will provide quantitative outputs like
vertical profiles of temperature and humidity, atmospheric motion
vectors, sea surface temperature, snow cover and other related
forecasts.
Earth Observation Satellites On the Rise (Source: Space
News)
Earth observation satellite operators are expected to launch 29
satellites over the next 10 years, compared to just five in the
previous decade. The private-sector involvement in Earth observation is
part of a broader boom in the construction of Earth observing
satellites expected between now and 2016 as more governments launch
their own systems, according to a Euroconsult survey. The next 10 years
are expected to see 199 Earth observation satellites placed into orbit,
including 48 spacecraft dedicated to meteorology and located in both
geostationary and polar low Earth orbit, according to the survey --
nearly double the number of Earth observation satellites launched in
the decade ending in 2006.
Fifty-four of the non-meteorological satellites will be launched by
governments that are well-established in the sector, including the United States, Russia, France, India, Israel and China. Joining these veteran
government Earth observation agencies will be 52 satellites to be
financed by governments that, until recently, had no independent Earth
observation capacity. Among these nations are Algeria, Chile, Iran, Nigeria, Turkey and South Africa.
United Launch Alliance Inaugural Atlas V California Launch A
Success (Source: SpaceDaily.com)
Adding to the Atlas rocket's legacy of launches from the west coast
that began in 1959, United Launch Alliance's Atlas V made its debut
flight from Space Launch Complex-3 East at Vandenberg Air Force Base.
It carried a National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) payload. The launch
ushers in a new era of space launch capability for the Air Force and
ULA as part of the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) program.
For Atlas V, today's success builds on 12 previous Atlas V launches
from the Cape Canaveral Spaceport, starting in 2002.
Modifications to SLC-3E to support an Atlas V vehicle began more than
four years ago when a 22-month development program was initiated.
Construction began Jan. 5, 2004 and was completed March 31, 2005. Major elements of the
modification included raising the height of the mobile service tower by
30 feet; building a new 250-ton fixed launch platform; installing a new
60-ton bridge crane; replacing the ground command, control, and
communication system; and finishing work on new and refurbished launch
control and mission support centers.
ULA Launches Delta 2 with GPS Satellite from Cape Canaveral Spaceport (Source: SpaceToday.net)
A Delta 2 rocket successfully launched a new GPS satellite early
Saturday. The Delta 2 7925-9.5 lifted off from the Cape Canaveral
Spaceport and placed the GPS 2R-19 satellite into a transfer orbit as
planned 68 minutes later. The satellite is the sixth in a series of
modernized Block 2R GPS satellites, built by Lockheed Martin. The
launch was the second in under 24 hours for United Launch Alliance, the
joint venture between Boeing and Lockheed Martin that builds the Atlas
and Delta family of vehicles.
ULA Plans to Save Delta 2 (Source: Florida Today)
United Launch Alliance has a strategy to prevent the demise of the
Delta 2 rocket program. The company's plan keeps the world's most
reliable rocket in production beyond 2010, but the number of launches
is expected to fall from six or eight per year to one or two. The ULA
strategy will keep the Delta 2 program alive while the company waits
and hopes for a resurgence in demand. By 2010, the plan will phase out
200 jobs and will vacate one of the Delta 2 pads and as many as 10
buildings at the Cape Canaveral Spaceport. After Saturday morning's
launch of a GPS spacecraft, the company has a total of 16 remaining
Delta 2 launches planned from the Cape and from Vandenberg in California. Delta 2 rocket bodies
and critical parts have been stockpiled to keep the program flying at
the less-frequent rate after 2010.
California-Based Sea Launch Prepares for the Launch of DIRECTV
11 (Source: CSA)
The Sea Launch Odyssey Launch Platform and the Sea Launch Commander
have departed Sea Launch Home Port in California for the equatorial
Pacific, in preparation for the launch of the DIRECTV 11 broadcast
satellite, planned for Monday, March 17. Liftoff is expected at the
opening of a 58-minute launch window, at 3:49 pm Pacific Daylight Time.
Upon arrival at the launch site at 154 degrees West Longitude, the team
will ballast the platform to launch depth and initiate a 72-hour
countdown for the Ukrainian/Russian-made Zenit rocket.
California-Based SpaceX Contracted to Launch ORS Payload
(Source: UPI)
California-based Space Exploration Technologies Corp. says it has been
contracted to carry the Operationally Responsive Space Office's first
jumpstart mission onboard a June Falcon-One launch. Defense officials
say the payload, expected to be decided before the scheduled SpaceX
Flight readiness review, could include an Air Force Research Laboratory
plug and play satellite bus, SpaceDev Inc. Trailblazer spacecraft bus
or an Air Force Office of Scientific Research NanoSat-4, CUSat for the
space testing.
Russian ILS Proton Launch Fails (Source: SpaceToday.net)
A Proton launch of commercial communications satellite failed early
Saturday when the rocket's upper stage shut down prematurely, stranding
the satellite in a transfer orbit. The Proton M lifted off from the
Baikonur spaceport in Kazakhstan, carrying the AMC-14
satellite for SES Americom. International Launch Services (ILS)
announced an "anomaly" with the Breeze M upper stage, which apparently
failed during its second burn. The spacecraft is stranded in an
elliptical transfer orbit with an apogee of about 28,000 km, short of
geosynchronous orbit.
The failure appears
similar to one that took place two years ago, when Arabsat 4A was stuck
in a transfer orbit after its Breeze M upper stage failed; that
satellite was later deorbited. The failure comes only six months after
another Proton launch failed when its second stage failed to ignite, a
problem that was quickly determined and corrected. The failure is
likely to put more stress on the commercial launch market, which has
encountered higher prices caused by increased demand and constrained
supply in the last couple years.
Shuttle Lifts Off on Mission to ISS (Source:
SpaceToday.net)
The space shuttle Endeavour lifted off early Tuesday on a mission to
deliver a Japanese laboratory module and robotic arm system to the
International Space Station. The rare night launch took place with no
significant problems reported during the countdown. Endeavour will
spend the next 16 days in orbit, 12 of them docked to the ISS. Five
spacewalks are planned for the mission, the most for any shuttle
mission to the ISS. One member of the STS-123 crew, Garrett Reisman,
will remain on the station after the shuttle departs, with ISS crew
member Leopold Eyharts returning on the shuttle.
Debris Strikes Shuttle,
NASA Expects No Serious Damage (Source: AIA)
NASA officials said a piece of debris may have struck Endeavour's nose
after the launch on Tuesday. They said the debris probably did not do
much damage to the shuttle if it did strike the nose because the
shuttle's velocity was relatively slow. Experts are examining a video
of the launch to learn where the debris came from.
Space Station Will Get Major Robot Arm Upgrade (Source: EE
Times)
Space Shuttle Endeavour is carrying a Canadian-built humanoid robotic
arm with unprecedented dexterity for a space robot. The Special Purpose
Dexterous Manipulator, or Dextre, was launched as part of a shuttle
mission to the International Space Station. The orbiter is also
carrying the Japanese Kibo laboratory module. Dextre has has an upper
body that pivots at the waist and shoulders that support two identical
arms, each with a hand with seven joints. The crew will install and
begin testing Dextre, which will become the primary tool for
maintaining and servicing the space station.
Space Station’s Dextre Robot Arm Needs Fix (Source:
Reuters)
NASA and the Canadian Space Agency were working on a software patch to
bypass a problem that is preventing the $209 million "Dextre" robot
from tapping into the station's electrical system. "There's not a sense
of great urgency," said a NASA official. "We don't have our hair on
fire." Dextre can go at least five days before the cold of space
becomes a problem. About half of the five spacewalks planned during
Endeavour's 12-day stay at the station are dedicated to building
Dextre, which has never been assembled on the ground. With 11-foot-long
arms and a mass of more than 1.5 tons, the robot would topple in
Earth's gravity.
Station’s Robotic Arm Successfully Installed (Source:
CanWest)
Astronauts aboard the International Space Station successfully powered
up Friday night the lab's newest addition - a Canadian-made robotic arm
called Dextre. The Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator follows in the
tradition of Canadarms 1 and 2 by replacing costly and dangerous
spacewalks. Dextre was installed by astronauts after a wiring problem
was bypassed by connecting the robot into Canadarm 2. Dextre won't be
fully assembled until Tuesday.
Engineers Assess Problem Aboard Jules Verne Craft (Source:
SpaceFlightNow.com)
An electronics box on Europe's first cargo ship shut down a propulsion
system command chain responsible for a quarter of the space-age
delivery truck's maneuvering thrusters. Officials stationed in a
control center in Toulouse, France, are working to analyze
the problem. During the propulsion system's activation sequence moments
after reaching orbit, Jules Verne's computers noticed a slight pressure
difference between the ship's hydrazine fuel and nitrogen tetroxide
oxidizer being fed through valves. The suspect chain is redundant and
controls seven of 28 attitude control jets and one the ship's four main
engines.
ATV Propulsion Glitch Resolved (Source: SpaceToday.net)
European engineers have resolved a problem with the propulsion system
on the first ATV cargo spacecraft, keeping the mission on track for a
docking with the International Space Station next month. Shortly after
its launch early Sunday, spacecraft controllers noticed a problem with
the primary propulsion system on the ATV, where a "significant
difference" in pressure between the fuel and oxidizer in the primary
propulsion system caused computers on the spacecraft to shut it down.
Engineers uplinked new commands to the spacecraft's electronics and,
after shutting down the spacecraft's entire propulsion system, turned
it back on successfully. The ATV performed a series of maneuvers on
Tuesday that confirmed the propulsion system was working well. The
spacecraft, the first in a series of European robotic cargo spacecraft,
is still scheduled to dock with the ISS in early April after performing
a number of approach and rendezvous tests after the current shuttle
mission.
Station a Sharing Endeavor (Source: Florida Today)
Recent flights of so many international components of the International
Space Station gives the appearance the United States is outnumbered in
orbit. However, agreements negotiated in the 1990s before construction
began give NASA a hold on a big share of the real estate aboard the
growing space laboratory. The agreements give the U.S. control of 49 percent of
the Europeans' Columbus lab, which was installed
last month, as well as 49 percent of Japan's sprawling Kibo complex,
the first piece of which will reach the station tonight. International
officials and scientists expect constructive collaboration on
experiments in areas such as drug testing, growing crystals and
counter-acting bone and muscle loss caused by living for long periods
of time in microgravity. "We pretty much have a sharing agreement,"
NASA space operations chief Bill Gerstenmaier said after launch.
Starship Troopers: Fleet of the Spacecraft (Source: The
Independent)
A fleet of spacecraft is devoted to maintaining and supplying the ISS,
delivering new crew-members, bringing astronauts home and ferrying
cargo back and forth. These are the private jets, trash cans, trucks
and escape modules of space, yet rarely do they attract the attention
of the public on the planet below. Rockets may look explosive, but they
are just the engines that deliver these craft to the edge of the
atmosphere, where the real mission begins. Visit http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/starship-troopers-fleet-of-the-spacecraft-794369.html
to view the article.
Does Space Need Air Traffic Control? (Source: Christian
Science Monitor)
The way Kirk Shireman describes it, the International Space Station is
fast becoming the O'Hare International Airport of low Earth orbit.
Joking about the increasing flow of missions to and from the Space
Station, NASA's Shireman said: "We're thinking about launching an
air-traffic controller soon to keep it all straight." His jest, during
a recent prelaunch briefing, highlights what several specialists see as
an emerging issue for spaceflight in the 21st century: a need to
overhaul the way people manage traffic in space – from human-tended
craft and satellites to the long-standing problem of space debris.
Some say it may be time to set up an international body similar to the
International Civil Aviation Organization to establish common standards
and practices. Others suggest that individual nation-to-nation
agreements could be enough. Whatever the approach, aerospace traffic
management "is getting to be a hot topic," says Ben Baseley-Walker, a
consultant for the Secure World Foundation, a space-policy think tank
based in Superior, Colo. Meetings on the subject
that drew a few dozen academics two or three years ago are now drawing
crowds of nearly 200 from around the world, he says. And several of the
newer attendees are wearing military uniforms. Visit http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/0314/p01s02-usgn.html
to view the article.
Satellite-Based Air Traffic Control Needed to Meet Demand
(Source: AIA)
FAA officials last week forecast slow passenger growth for air carriers
in the near term. Acting Administrator Bobby Sturgell also noted that
long-term demand will only be met if the nation shifts to a
satellite-based air traffic control system.
A Solar System That Looks
Like Home
(Source: Science Now)
A disk of gas and dust 450 light-years away bears a close resemblance
to our early solar system, astronomers report. The region contains
relatively large quantities of some of the most important basic
building blocks of life, and these are concentrated at a potentially
habitable distance away from the parent star. The finding should
provide new insights into how life managed to arise in our own
neighborhood.
Hubble Detects Organic Molecule on Extrasolar Planet
(Source: NASA)
NASA will hold a media teleconference on March 19 to report on the
first-ever detection of the organic molecule methane in the atmosphere
of a planet orbiting a distant star. Though the planet is too hot to
support life as we know it, the finding demonstrates the ability to
detect organic molecules spectroscopically around Earth-like planets in
habitable zones around stars.
How to Get to Alpha Centauri (Source: Space.com)
Sending a person to Alpha Centauri within a human lifetime wouldn't be
easy. Alpha Centauri is 4.37 light-years away — more than 25.6 trillion
miles, or more than 276,000 times the distance from the Earth to the
sun. But the lure has never been stronger. Scientists last week said
the Alpha Centauri system has the ingredients for an Earth-like planet,
and they think they can spot it. Conventional rockets are nowhere near
efficient enough. At a maximum speed of about 17,600 mph (about 28,300
kph), it would take the space shuttle, for example, about 165,000 years
to reach Alpha Centauri. Visit http://www.space.com/businesstechnology/080313-tw-centauri-travel.html
to learn about the various potential technologies to speed the trip.
How We Present Ourselves to Aliens (Source: Space.com)
Humans live and die by approximations. We are seldom as perfect or as
accurate as we would like to be. And as we contemplate what we might
say to an advanced extraterrestrial civilization, maybe that's a point
we should emphasize. The only way we are likely to detect ET is if
alien civilizations are much older than we are. If the typical
civilization has the capacity to communicate by radio for only a few
decades before it self-destructs, then it's very unlikely that we and
they will happen to co-exist in the long lifetime of our galaxy. That
disparity of age explains why current SETI programs merely listen for
signals from other civilizations, rather than transmit. Transmitting
requires greater patience and more resources than listening, so
shouldn't we expect our cosmic elders to shoulder the burden?
Space Rocks Brought Life's Raw Material (Source: Space.com)
Nobody knows how life on Earth began, but the primordial soup likely
got a lot of its ingredients from space. Scientists have discovered
concentrations of amino acids in two meteorites that are more than ten
times higher than levels previously measured in other similar
meteorites. Amino acids are organic molecules that form the backbone of
proteins, which in turn build many of the structures and drive many of
the chemical reactions inside living cells. The production of proteins
is believed to constitute one of the first steps in the emergence of
life. So the finding suggests that the early solar system was far
richer in the organic building blocks of life than scientists had
thought. The researchers speculate that rocks from space may have
spiked Earth's primordial broth.
Brown Scientist Answers How Peruvian Meteorite Made It to Earth
(Source: Brown University)
It made news around the world: On Sept. 15,
2007,
an object hurtled through the sky and crashed into the Peruvian
countryside. Scientists dispatched to the site near the village of Carancas found a gaping hole in
the ground. Peter Schultz, professor of geological sciences at Brown University and an expert in
extraterrestrial impacts, went to Peru to learn more. What
Schultz and his team found is surprising. The object that slammed into
a dry riverbed in Peru was a meteorite, and it
left a 49-foot-wide crater. Soil ejected from the point of impact was
found nearly four football fields away. When Schultz’s team analyzed
the soil where the fireball hit, he found “planar deformation
features,” or fractured lines in sand grains found in the ground.
Scientists think it was traveling at roughly 15,000 miles per hour at
the moment of impact.
Scientists have determined the Carancas fireball was a stony meteorite
– a fragile type long thought to be ripped into pieces as it enters the
Earth’s atmosphere and then leaves little more than a whisper of its
journey. Yet the stony meteorite that struck Peru survived its passage
mostly intact before impact. “This just isn’t what we expected,”
Schultz said. “It was to the point that many thought this was fake. It
was completely inconsistent with our understanding how stony meteorites
act.” Visit http://www.brown.edu/Administration/News_Bureau/2007-08/07-113.html
to view the article.
Spacecraft Flies Through Saturn Moon's Plumes (Source: AP)
The international Cassini spacecraft collected science data on
mysterious geysers spewing from Saturn's moon Enceladus and recorded
new images of its surface during a close flyby. The pass Wednesday
brought Cassini as close as 30 miles to the surface of the moon. It
went through the icy geysers at 32,000 mph and an altitude of 120
miles. It's hoped that instrument data on density, size, composition
and speed of plume particles will provide clues to whether there's a
water ocean or organics inside the frozen moon. The geysers spew water
vapor from fractures in the moon's south pole.
Software "Hiccup" Undermines Trip Past Saturn Moon
(Source: Reuters)
A software malfunction prevented a key piece of equipment on the
Cassini spacecraft from recording data as it flew through the plume
from a geyser shooting off a moon of Saturn. NASA called the problem
"an unexplained software hiccup" that came at a very bad time,
preventing Cassini's Cosmic Dust Analyzer instrument from collecting
data for about two hours as it flew over the surface of the moon
Enceladus on Wednesday.
Priest-Cosmologist Wins $1.6 Million Templeton Prize
(Source: New York Times)
The $1.6 million Templeton Prize, the richest award made to an
individual by a philanthropic organization, was given to Michael
Heller, 72, a Roman Catholic priest, cosmologist and philosopher who
has spent his life asking, and perhaps more impressively answering,
questions like “Does the universe need to have a cause?” He says
science and religion “are prerequisites of the decent existence.” Much
of Professor Heller’s career has been dedicated to reconciling the
known scientific world with the unknowable dimensions of God. Professor
Heller said he believed, for example, that the religious objection to
teaching evolution “is one of the greatest misunderstandings” because
it “introduces a contradiction or opposition between God and chance.”
Templeton Buys Another Scientist (Source: What's New)
The 2008 Templeton Prize was awarded to cosmologist Michael Heller, a
Roman Catholic priest. The monetary value of the award is adjusted to
be larger than the Nobel Prize. Initially, the prize was given to more
saintly types, beginning with Mother Teresa in 1973, but of the last
ten winners, seven have been physicists or cosmologists. After all,
what’s the point in becoming rich and powerful if you can’t buy that
which is important to you? For Sir John Templeton the important thing
is scientists declairing that they see the hand of God in the laws of
nature. Heller believes God’s existence can be found in the
mathematical nature of the world. At the Pontifical Academy of Theology
in Krakow, Poland, where he is a faculty
member, Heller says he will use his prize to create a center for the
study of science and theology, and will introduce his concept of "the
theology of science."
Europe to Build Lab to Study
Stars and Elements Form in Cosmos (Source: European Science
Foundation)
One of the great ongoing challenges of astrophysics, to find out how
stars evolve and die, is to be tackled in an ambitious European
research program. This will involve studying in the laboratory over 25
critical nuclear reactions using low-energy stable beams of ions, in
order to understand stellar evolution. Although astrophysicists have
been studying these questions for half a century, progress has been
held back by the experimental difficulties involved. But now there is
the opportunity to exploit new technology to build a major laboratory
that would propel Europe to the head of the field
of stellar evolution and nucleosynthesis. “We now want to build a state
of the art facility to disentangle all these problems,” said an
official.
Huge Ice Deposits 'Seen' on Mars (Source: BBC)
Large volumes of water ice have probably been detected below Mars'
surface, far from the planet's polar ice caps, scientists have said.
The Sharad radar experiment, on Nasa's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter
(MRO) spacecraft made the discovery in Mars' mid-northern latitudes.
The ice is found in distinctive geological structures on Mars' surface
that are hundreds of metres thick. The radar data suggest that some of
these features consist mostly of ice.
20 Teams Competing in
California-Sponsored Lunar Regolith Challenge (Source: CSA)
The California Space Education and Workforce Institute and California
Space Authority have registered 20 teams to compete in the 2008
Regolith Excavation Challenge. The teams competing for the $750,000
prize purse hail from 12 states and represent a variety of backgrounds;
including universities, seasoned private sector robotics teams, and
industry based competitors. The Challenge event will take place during
August 2nd and 3rd on the campus of challenge co-host California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo College
of Engineering. Visit http://regolith.csewi.org/
for information.
Hardy Earth Bacteria Can Grow in Lunar Soil (Source: New
Scientist)
A hardy life form called cyanobacteria can grow in otherwise
inhospitable lunar soil, new experiments suggest. Future colonists on
the Moon might be able to use the cyanobacteria to extract resources
from the soil that could be used to make rocket fuel and fertilizer for
crops. Cyanobacteria grow in water-rich environments. They are
technically a type of bacteria, but like plants, they produce their own
food via photosynthesis. (Sometimes called 'blue-green algae',
cyanobacteria are actually not related to the algae they resemble.)
Lunar soil is inhospitable to plants because many of the nutrients it
contains are locked up in tough minerals that the plants cannot break
down. But experiments show that some cyanobacteria are perfectly happy
growing on lunar soil, if supplied with water, air and light.
Scientist: Space Vision Lacks Funds (Source: Florida Today)
President Bush has failed to back up his broad vision to revive the
nation's interest in space exploration with adequate funding or even
public support, a leading scientist told lawmakers Thursday. "The money
that was promised to execute the mission has not been provided, and
it's hard to say that the vision has generated much excitement,
particularly among the young, who are expected to benefit the most,"
said Lennard Fisk, chairman of the National Research Council Space
Studies Board.
Rep. Tom Feeney, the panel's top Republican, said both the president
and Congress often are eager to assign NASA new missions -- without
providing the necessary money. "The result of our actions is that
NASA's resources are shrinking in real terms while the agency is
charged with maintaining America's preeminence as a space
faring nation," said Feeney, whose district includes part of the Cape
Canaveral Spaceport.
Bush Would Veto NASA Budget Increase (Source: Houston
Chronicle)
If Congress approves an additional $2 billion over the next two years,
NASA has a chance of making the Orion moonship ready to carry
astronauts to the international space station by September 2013. Though
there is some bipartisan support in Congress for the additional funds,
the Bush White House has threatened to veto such a spending increase as
the economy teeters on the verge of a recession. Mike Griffin said that
by the time Bush leaves office in January, it will be too late to
accelerate work on the moonship, even if Congress and the next
president approve the additional billions of dollars.
Editorial: Without Bush's Support, Congress Has to Look After
NASA (Source: DailyPress.com)
It's a shame that Virginia doesn't have anyone on
the House of Representatives subcommittee that oversees funding for
NASA. A member of Congress with Hampton's NASA Langley Research Center in his or her backyard
might be better able (as well as better positioned) to make the case
for the important work done here. But while Hampton Roads might reap
the direct benefit of NASA Langley's 4,000 jobs, and the well-educated,
well-paid workers who contribute to the local economy and community
life, the nation benefits from the work they do. We all benefit when
our aerospace industry can stand up to foreign competitors — especially
the European juggernaut, which is subsidized by governments and by
publicly funded research.
We are all the beneficiaries of the discoveries made by NASA scientists
studying Earth and space, and the applications to which their research
is put. So it shouldn't take a Hamptonian, or a Virginian of any kind,
to see what's wrong with President Bush's plan to slash funding for
NASA Langley 13 percent. Make that another 13 percent. The center has
endured cut after cut, largely targeting aeronautics research, and lost
hundreds of jobs. It has lost so much ground that the $608 million the
Bush budget allots Langley for next year is actually
less than it received in 1996.
Lawmakers Use Launch to Pitch NASA (Source: Orlando
Sentinel)
Space shuttle Endeavour lit up the night sky at Kennedy Space Center
early Tuesday as it roared into orbit, thrilling onlookers, including a
group of 19 influential members of Congress. The group was led by Rep.
Bart Gordon, D-Tenn., chairman of the House Science and Technology
Committee, and Rep. Nick Lampson, D-Texas, a powerful NASA booster in
Washington whose district includes Johnson Space Center in Houston.
Gordon and Lampson said they hoped to impress the delegation with the
spectacle of a night shuttle launch. "We want members to take back the
message of the importance of NASA and make them understand the agency
has ripple effect throughout the economy," Gordon said.
Infinite Quandaries Ahead (Source: Houston Chronicle)
NASA is hobbled by a serious lack of federal funds, upcoming layoffs
and a debate on whether to shoot for the moon or Mars. As President
Bush's term draws to an end, NASA faces one of the greatest challenges
in its 50-year history. As it prepares to retire the space shuttle in
two years and launch a new moonship by 2015, the space agency finds
itself hobbled by chronic underfunding, presidential politics and a new
debate in the scientific community over whether explorers should aim
for Mars instead of the moon. "There is value in going back to the moon
as an outpost, as a research area," said a former astronaut. But "we
ought to move on (to Mars) and not get bogged down (on the moon) for
all eternity."
The cost of the Bush venture is steep: an estimated $230 billion over
the next two decades. And the space agency faces a personnel shake-up
as well when the last of a dozen remaining shuttle missions concludes
and the program's $3.2 billion annual budget is shifted to the
development of the Orion crew capsule and its Ares 1 and Ares V
rockets. About 17,200 workers employed in the shuttle program in
Houston, Huntsville, Ala., and Cape Canaveral, Fla., or about 20
percent of NASA's entire federal and contractor work force, will see
their jobs come to an end, forcing layoffs or retirements for those
unable to move on to the moonship project, now in its infancy. Just
over 25 percent of the shuttle's force, or about 4,700 people, are
employed at NASA's Johnson Space Center. Visit http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/space/5621679.html
to view the article.
NASA Extends Contract for Astronaut Training Facilities in
Texas (Source: NASA)
NASA has issued a contract extension with a potential value of $78.25
million to Raytheon Technical Services to support facilities and
operations for astronaut training at NASA's Johnson Space Center and
the Sonny Carter Training Facility in Houston. The contract for
operations at the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory/Space Vehicle Mockup
Facility will continue support to the Space Shuttle, International
Space Station and Constellation Programs. Work includes supporting
astronauts and other subjects in an underwater, neutrally buoyant
environment; maintenance and upgrade of mechanical, hydraulic, fluid
and electrical systems; design and manufacture of space vehicle
mockups; and operation of the two facilities. The contract's current
value is $111.51 million.
A Look at NASA's Future
Beyond the Shuttle (Source: Houston
Chronicle)
Last week, NASA Administrator Michael Griffin sat down with the Houston
Chronicle's editorial board and science writer Eric Berger. The NASA
chief discussed the space agency's plans for the future as well as his
views on competition with other spacefaring nations. Q: The shuttle
will stop flying in 2010 so NASA can spend more money on the
Constellation program, the next generation of spacecraft. If money were
not a concern, would it be safe to continue flying the shuttle until
2015, when the first new vehicles should be ready? Visit http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/space/5621617.html
to view the Q&A article.
Countdown to Hardship as
Shuttle Nears Retirement (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
Brevard County officials are counting
down to what looks like a dark and troubled future. The county is
facing thousands of imminent job losses and unexpected hitches in
attracting new space business. According to Washington insiders, NASA -- which
until now has refrained from putting numbers on work-force losses --
will announce in two weeks that 4,000 jobs will disappear with the
shuttle in 2010. Experts anticipate another few thousand associated
jobs will follow suit.
Space advocates say it is unlikely that the new opportunities in
commercial space that Florida has been chasing will
come close to making up those numbers. Even more worrying: the state is
facing increasingly tough competition from other launch sites in the U.S. and around the globe. The
news that Orbital might launch its new rocket from Virginia was a huge blow to Florida's assumptions that all
NASA-related launch activity would gravitate to the cape.
Editorial: Florida Legislators Should Do
More to Lure Space Investments (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
Florida's long-standing and
lucrative title as the nation's space capital could be stolen. As the
space-shuttle program winds down and the commercial space industry
begins to take off, the Sunshine State will get left on the
launch pad unless legislators do more to keep up with the competition.
In Florida, space is a $2
billion-a-year industry supporting jobs in 47 of 67 counties -- some of
the best jobs in a state still too dependent on low-wage work. NASA is
expected to announce soon that 4,000 shuttle jobs will disappear when
the program ends.
Legislators representing the Space Coast -- Republicans Bill Posey
in the Senate and Thad Altman in the House -- have sponsored a series
of proposals that deserve support from other legislators, even in a
tight budget year. More high-wage jobs will help Florida recover from this slump
and better withstand the next one. One of the legislators' proposals
would create an incentive fund to attract space investments -- the same
approach Florida has used to land
biomedical investments. The money would go further in this case,
because unions representing space workers have offered to match state
dollars.
Another solid proposal would create a joint effort among universities,
businesses, NASA and the military to spur space-related research and
development to diversify Florida's space activities beyond
launch-related programs. And another proposal would make space
investments eligible for the same kind of state tax incentives for
which defense-industry investments already qualify. This one's really a
no-brainer. These kinds of strategies are critical to keeping the space
industry aloft in Florida.
Space Bills Advance Through Florida Legislature (Source: ERAU)
Two space-related bills advanced through committees during the first
full week of Florida's legislative session.
HB-1055, which would establish a Space Technology & Research
Diversification Initiative (STRDI), was passed unanimously by the House
Economic Development Committee. HB-0737, which addresses "informed
consent" for human spaceflight liability, was passed unanimously, with
amendments, by the Constitution & Civil Law Committee.
Alabama Officials Successfully
Court Aerospace Industry (Source: AIA)
Officials in Mobile, Ala., have made a concerted
effort to attract aerospace companies to their city over the past few
years. They visited Seattle to get a sense of how the
city accommodates large aerospace firms. Their diligence has paid off:
European aerospace company EADS has pledged to build refueling tankers
and commercial jetliners in Mobile.
Former NASA Administrator Gets Job with GE (Source: The
Advocate)
Former LSU Chancellor Sean O’Keefe is taking over General Electric
Co.’s aviation operations in Washington, D.C. A former NASA
administrator, O’Keefe stepped down amid controversy as LSU chancellor
in January and has since continued to teach at LSU while looking into
other job opportunities. O’Keefe said Thursday that he was attracted to
a private sector job that matches his experience, where he can focus on
strategic planning and government relations for GE.
Investment in Entrepreneurial Innovation: Why Cooperate?
(Source: Space Review)
In the highly competitive world of business, why should companies work
together to help develop a new industry? Paul Eckert explains why
various companies and organizations are doing just that to help promote
the entrepreneurial space sector. Visit http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1080/1
to view the article.
Trump Space Hotels? (Source: Space Cruise News)
Are Trump and Bigelow (sic) making a deal?...It may be TRUMP Space
Hotels opening in early 2012. It is rumored that two more billionaires,
Robert Bigelow, head of Bigelow Aerospace, developers of the world's
first space habitat and Donald J Trump, Real Estate impresario, are
close to a deal that will put the TRUMP name on Bigelow's Genesis I and
II and perhaps III and more that will host the weary space traveler for
the night. The deal, as we understand, would have Trump license Bigelow
for an undisclosed amount of cash plus a percentage based on annual
revenue. All travelers would indemnify Trump accepting all risks. Lots
of details to be worked out but it sound pretty spacey to us! Visit http://www.spacecruisenews.com/
to view the article.
Lottery Winner: I'm Heading to Space (Source: Waikato
Times)
An Auckland beneficiary who bought a lottery ticket on a whim is more
than $5 million better off and hopes to travel into space. The man, who
wants to remain anonymous, was on a bike ride when he had a spur of the
moment drink stop in a New Zealand store. "People have
always told me that you can't win these big prizes - but now I'm the
lucky bugger this week", he said. "I also want to look at travelling in
real style - by booking a trip into space. It would be great to one of
the first kiwis to make that trip."
GAO IDs Space Acquisitions Woes (Source: Aviation Week)
In testimony before the Senate on March 4, the Government
Accountability Office (GAO) noted that although DOD has made strides in
addressing cost overruns and delays in space acquisitions, it continues
to face persistent problems. "The majority of major acquisition
programs in DOD's space portfolio have experienced problems, resulting
in cost growth close to or exceeding 100 percent on some programs,"
said a GAO official.
GAO cited five notable programs that have incurred "substantial cost
growth and schedule delays": the Advanced Extremely High Frequency
(AEHF) communications satellite, the National Polar-orbiting
Operational Environmental Satellite System (NPOESS), the Space Based
Infrared System (SBIRS), the Wideband Global Satcom (WGS) and the
Global Positioning System (GPS) IIF program. GAO acknowledged that DOD
is operating in a challenging environment, pressured "to deliver new,
transformational capabilities" while managing "problematic, older
satellite programs" that continue to cost money, constrain investment
dollars and pose a risk to capabilities.
Lockheed Martin Submits GOES-R Spacecraft Bid, Wins DARPA
Satellite Contract (Source: CSA)
Lockheed Martin has submitted its proposal to NASA to design and build
the spacecraft for the Geostationary Operational Environmental
Satellite - Series R (GOES-R), the next generation geostationary
environmental satellites for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA). The proposal builds upon Lockheed Martin's 48
years of successful partnership with NASA and NOAA providing reliable
weather and environmental satellite systems on schedule including
TIROS, NIMBUS, UARS, Terra and Landsat.
Meanwhile, a Lockheed Martin team has received a $5.7 million contract
from DARPA to compete in Phase 1 development of their System F6 space
technology and demonstration program. F6 is shorthand for "Future,
Fast, Flexible, Fractionated, Free-Flying Spacecraft United by
Information Exchange." The DARPA System F6 program intends to
demonstrate that a traditional, large, monolithic satellite can be
replaced by a group of smaller, individually launched, wirelessly
networked and cluster-flown spacecraft modules. Each "fractionated"
module can contribute a unique capability to the rest of the network,
such as computing, ground communications, or payload functionality. The
ultimate goal of the program is to launch a fractionated spacecraft
system and demonstrate it in orbit in approximately four years.
EADS Goes Into Red With Loss of 446 Million Euros (Source:
SpaceDaily.com)
The European aerospace group EADS, which owns planemaker Airbus, went
into the red in 2007 with a net loss of 446 million euros ($684.6
million), caused by delays with its A400M military plane. In 2008 EADS
expects to considerably improve its earnings to 1.8 billion euros
against 52 million in 2007. Late last month the US awarded an aerial
refuelling tanker contract worth $35 billion to EADS and the US group Northrop Grumman,
instead of to US group Boeing, which has
said it may protest the decision. It was a stunning upset for Boeing,
until now the sole supplier of air refueling planes to the US military.
Astrium Reports Higher Revenue, Profit for 2007 (Source:
Space News)
The Astrium space division of European aerospace giant EADS increased
revenue by 10.5 percent in 2007 and pretax profit by 34 percent
following continued growth of the Astrium Services business for
military users and increased production of the Ariane 5 rocket, EADS
announced March 11.
|
|
Last Week’s DOD
Contract Awards in California
Ocean Systems Engineering
Corp., Oceanside, Calif., is being awarded
$6,023,146 for task order #0040 under previously awarded contract
(M67854-02-A-9020) to provide on-going engineering, technical,
acquisition, administrative and management support to the Marine
Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF) Command and Control (C2) Systems (MC2S)
Program Management Office (PMO). Specific programs covered under this
Statement of Work (SOW) include MAGTF C2 Systems and Application, Joint
Tactical Common Operational Picture Workstation (JTCW), Target Location
Designation Handoff System (TLDHS), Advanced Field Artillery Tactical
Data System (AFATDS), Blue Force Situational Awareness (BFSA), Theatre
Battle Management Core Systems (TBMCS) and Joint Interface Control
Officer Support System (JSS). All programs are currently between
Milestone B and Post Production Support and require support through all
phases of the acquisition cycle. The focus of effort is support for
engineering and management activities related to (MAGTF) Command and
Control (C2) Systems (MC2S) programs to develop the capability sets and
related projects into an integrated solution of hardware and software
interoperability, system testing, engineering assessments, technical
documentation, systems training, and on-site material fielding. Work will be performed in Stafford, Va., and work is expected to
be completed in March 2009. Contract funds in the amount of $4,723,405
will expire at then end of the current fiscal year. The Marine Corps
System Command, Quantico, Va., is the contracting
activity.
Coastal Pacific Food
Distributers,
Stockton, Calif., is being awarded a
maximum $36,000,000 fixed price with economic price adjustment contract
for full line food distribution. Other locations of performance are the
same. Using services are Army, Navy, Air Force
and Marine Corps. This is a bridge contract for Japan, Singapore and Diego Garcia. There
was 1 proposal originally solicited with 1 response. Contract funds
will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Date of
performance completion is December
17, 2008. The
contracting activity is Defense Supply Center Philadelphia (DSCP), Philadelphia, Pa.
Applied Engineering
Management Corp. is being awarded a not
to exceed $36,235,103 firm-fixed-price task order #JN01 under
previously awarded contract (N00178-05-D-4183) to provide maintenance
for Electronic Navy Housing (eNH), an integrated enterprise system that
supports housing business processes and program management throughout
the Department of the Navy housing enterprise and that is compliant
with Navy information technology specifications including the
Navy-Marine Corp Intranet environment. Secondly, this task order is to
provide on-site systems analyst and program management support for CNIC
(Commander, Navy Installations Command) Housing. Lastly, this task is
to provide continuing technical and project management support for the
mission critical human resource management, baseloading and Inventory
and Utilization (I&U) modules of eNH by providing contractor
technical support representatives and systems integrators. Work will be
performed in Virginia (90 percent); California (8 percent); and Colorado (2 percent), and work is
expected to be complete March 2009 (March 2013 including options). This task order was initially sent out only to
small businesses with only one proposal received at almost three times
the government estimate. It was then solicited to both small and large
businesses with two offers received. The Naval Facilities Engineering
Command, Atlantic, Norfolk, Virginia, is the contracting
activity.
ITT Industries Avionics Div., Clifton, N. J., is being awarded
a $111,540,000 modification to a previously awarded firm-fixed-price
contract (N00019-05-C-0054) to exercise an option for the Fiscal Year
2008 full rate production Lot V of 66 AN/ALQ-214(V)2 On-Board Jammer
Systems for the F/A-18 E/F Aircraft. This option combines purchases for
the U.S. Navy ($103,090,000; 92 percent), and the Government of
Australia ($8,450,000; 8 percent) under the Foreign Military Sales
Program. Work will be performed at various locations for all other
vendors throughout the U.S. (43.5 percent); Clifton, N.J., (34.4 percent); East Syracuse, N.Y., (8.8 percent); San Diego, Calif., (8.3 percent); and Rancho
Cordova, Calif., (5 percent), and work is
expected to be completed in Dec. 2010. Contract funds will not expire
at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting
activity.
Solpac, Inc., DBA Soltek
Pacific, San
Diego, Calif., was awarded $18,998,000 for firm-fixed-price task
order #0007 under a previously awarded contract (N68711-03-D-7509) on
Mar. 12, 2008, to design and construct a combined arms and military
operations urban terrain training facility at the MAGTGTC Marine Corps
Air Ground Combat Center, Twentynine Palms. Work will be
performed in San Bernardino, Calif., and work is expected to
be completed by Sep. 2009. Contract funds will expire at the end of the
current fiscal year. Three proposals were received for this task order.
The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Southwest, San Diego, Calif., is the contracting
activity.
Jacobs Engineering, Dumfries, Va., is being
awarded $9,436,475 for task order #0016 under previously awarded
contract (M67854-02-A-9017) to provide technical support to the Marine
Corps Systems Command, Information Systems and Infrastructure Product
Group (PG/ISI), Marine Corps Network and Infrastructure services
program office for sustainment support and additional transition
support to include assisting in monitoring the cutover progress and
attending daily meetings. Throughout the contract period the Contractor
will be required to coordinate schedules, assist with data collection
for assets, user requirements management; application inventory; and
related actions necessary to effect transition activities and seat
cutover, technical refresh schedules and activities and life-cycle
sustainment in the NMCI environment (e. g. SRM data collection, asset
reconciliation and tracking). The scope of this task will be structured
to reflect support for Major Commands across the Marine Corps sites. Work will be performed in Camp Lejeune, N.C.,(22
percent); New Orleans, La., (15 percent); Okinawa, Japan, (12 percent);
Camp Pendleton, Calif., (11 percent); Quantico, Va., (11 percent); Miramar,
Calif., (8 percent); Beaufort, S.C., (3 percent); Kaneohe Bay,
Hawaii, (3 percent); Albany, Ga., (3 percent); Arlington, Va., (2
percent); Bastow, Calif., (2 percent); Twenty-Nine Palms,
Calif., (2 percent); Yuma, Ariz., (2 percent); San Diego, Calif.,
(2 percent); and Paris Island, S.C., (2 percent), and work is expected
to be completed in Mar. 2009. Contract funds will expire at the end of
the current fiscal year. The Marine Corps System Command, Quantico, Va., is the contracting
activity.
I.E. Pacific, Inc., San Diego, Calif.,
is being awarded $5,812,000 for firm-fixed-price task order #0006 under
a previously awarded indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity multiple
award construction contract (N62473-07-D-2015) for design and
construction of additional parking level on the existing parking
structures, Building 608 and Building 636, at the Naval Subase, San
Diego. Additional parking expansion will provide approximately 172
additional parking spaces and will include additional electrical and
mechanical (stand pipe system) utilities, paving and site improvement.
Work will be performed in San Diego, Calif., and work is expected to
be completed by Mar. 2009. Contract funds will not expire at the end of
the current fiscal year. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command,
Southwest, San Diego, Calif., is the contracting
activity.
McDonnell Douglas Corp., A Wholly-Owned
Subsidiary of the Boeing Company, Long Beach, Calif., is being awarded a
contract modification for $10,290,683. This contract is for FY07 Award
Fee payment for the period 1 April
2007
thru 30 September 2007. The award fee is based
on performance on the Globemaster III Sustainment Partnership (GSP)
Program. At this time $10,290,683 has been obligated. MSW/C17SG/PKS,
Wright-Patterson AFB is the contracting activity.
Lockheed Martin Space
Systems Corp.
in Sunnyvale, Calif., is being awarded a firm
fixed price contract for $350,000,000. This action is for the Space
Based Infrared Systems (SBIRS) Geostationary Earth Orbit satellite 3
(GEO 3) and Highly Elliptical Earth Orbit payload 3 (HEO 3) long-lead
effort. The intent of the letter contract is to maintain the best
possible GEO 3 and HEO 3 delivery dates for replenishment of strategic
missile warning satellites and payloads. In addition, the letter
contract facilitates the retention of critical payload engineering
skills required to start the long lend redesign activities. At this
time $175,000,000 has been obligated. Space Based Infrared Systems, Los
Angeles Air Force Base, Calif., is the contracting
activity.
Northrop Grumman Systems
Corp.,
Integrated Systems Air Combat Systems in San Diego, Calif., is being awarded a fixed
price incentive firm target contract for $73,590,137. This action will
provide long lead parts/advance procurement for the following low rate
initial production Lot 7 items: three multi platform-radar technology
insertion program sensors. At this time $33,890,137 has been obligated.
303 AESG/PK, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, is the contracting
activity.
|
