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April 26, 2010
California Items
Falcon-9 Launching Next
Soon?
(Source: SPACErePORT)
SpaceX has reserved May 8 for the first launch of its new Falcon-9
rocket from the Cape Canaveral Spaceport. The launch window opens at
11:00 a.m. and extends into the night. This will be a demonstration
mission, to qualify the launch vehicle and a stripped down version of
the company's Dragon capsule. (4/24)
California Strategic Planning
Webinars Begin Today – It’s Not Too Late to be Influential (Source: CSA)
Now’s the time to participate in the defining of the tasks and
objectives of the next (4th) California Space Enterprise Strategic Plan
which will guide the next 3 years of activity. Six webinars throughout
this week will cover: Vision, Competitiveness, Industrial Base,
Science/Technology, Education/Workforce, and Industry Communications.
Participation is free, please see the linked flier and join us for any
or all of the webinar sessions.
http://www.californiaspaceauthority.org/images/pdfs/CSA-April2010-StratPlan-Webinars.pdf
Mineta: Time to Bring
Silicon Valley Spirit to Space Industry (Source: San Jose Mercury
News)
Just over five years ago, as Secretary of Transportation, I had the
honor of presiding over the birth of a new industry in the United States:
commercial human space transportation. Those private flights of
SpaceShipOne made headlines worldwide and showed that America
still has what it takes to lead the world in technology, innovation and
entrepreneurship.
As President Obama outlined in a historic speech last week, NASA will
now partner with commercial space companies to bring that Silicon Valley spirit to all of NASA and breathe
new life into the space industry. The commercial space industry has
grown so much that NASA can and should start leveraging its
capabilities more seriously. NASA should focus on pushing the frontier
rather than operating a trucking service to low Earth orbit like
today's space shuttle. (4/21)
California:
Private Space Tourism Taking Off Without Us (Source: San Francisco
Chronicle)
While our politicians in Sacramento
continue to proselytize for "green jobs" that may or may not appear,
they have been ignoring one of California's most important and
innovative industries: private space travel. This malign neglect has
allowed New Mexico to capture the
space tourism business, and the loss serves as a sad poster child for California's
overall competitive failure.
Our cautionary tale of California's
lost spaceships lost begins in June 2004. The private human spaceflight
industry was ramping up in California's
Mojave Desert with the historic flights of SpaceShipOne, designed by
brilliant Southern California
aerospace engineers. At the maiden flights, the spacecraft's financier,
Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, and its visionary designer, Burt Rutan
of Scaled Composites, were far from alone on the ground. The top brass
from both the FAA and NASA were in attendance as well, and President
Bush phoned in to congratulate the team.
One group, however, was notably absent - California's governor and other
political leaders such as Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer.
This new enterprise would clearly need facilities to operate from, and
it would seem that an expanded Mojave spaceport - the nation's first
and only such facility at the time - would be the obvious solution. But
who was on hand to fill this need and capture the hundreds of millions
in investment dollars and the load of high-paying high-tech jobs? It
was indeed a governor, but not our Terminator. It was Bill Richardson
of New Mexico
- a state just a few hundred miles away but light-years ahead in
business acumen and vision. Click here to view the article.
(4/25)
NASA Unveils World's
Largest Airborne Observatory in California (Source: AIA)
An enormous German-made infrared telescope that would represent the
world's largest airborne observatory was unveiled on Tuesday at a NASA
hangar in Palmdale,
Calif. The
Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy, or SOFIA, features a
40,000-pound telescope mounted to the rear of a former Pan Am jetliner,
a NASA Boeing 747, and the system is expected to capture its first
infrared images in flight in six to eight weeks. (4/21)
Antelope Valley
Commemorates Space Shuttle (Source: Edwards AFB)
Over 100 people turned out to be a part of the Space Shuttle First
Flight Commemoration that took place at the Joe Davies Heritage Airpark
in Palmdale, Calif., April 20. State, city, Air Force, NASA and Boeing
officials joined to pay tribute to the thousands of space and aerospace
workers who were part of the Space Shuttle team. "It's a very proud
program for the Antelope
Valley and
especially for Air Force Plant 42," said Palmdale Mayor Jim Ledford.
Mayor Ledford said the city of Palmdale
is proud to be part of the history of the Space Shuttle Program that
started so long ago at Site 1, the home of all six shuttles. Site 1 was
also the shuttles' maintenance site for many years. Edwards Air Force
Base served as a primary alternate landing site and had the distinction
of receiving the very first shuttle landing. On April 14, 1981 space
shuttle Columbia
made its first flight. (4/22)
Minotaur-4
Launches From California, Hypersonic Payload Lost (Source:
SpaceFlightNow.com)
A new Minotaur launch vehicle derived from retired missile parts
successfully blasted off from the California coast Thursday, but
officials lost contact with a hypersonic glider testbed for a U.S.
military quick-response global strike system. The Minotaur 4, flying in
a downsized three-stage configuration called the Minotaur 4 Lite,
released its HTV 2a payload high in the upper atmosphere at a velocity
more than 20 times the speed of sound.
The craft was designed to try out its aerodynamic control system and
conduct sweeping turns to bleed off excess energy and demonstrate its
cross-range capabilities. Tracking assets lost contact with the
triangle-shaped craft 9 minutes after liftoff. A DARPA press release
did not specify whether any of the test maneuvers were completed before
controllers lost communications with the craft.
Prior to this launch, a grounding of the Minotaur-4 rocket triggered a
cascade of launch delays for military satellites. After another
Vandenberg launch in July, two Minotaur-4 flights are planned this fall
from Kodiak Island,
Alaska. (4/23)
Reduce Cost-Per-Pound of
Going to the Stars (Source: Modesto Bee)
President Barack Obama's plans for the future of America's civilian
space programs, outlined in his speech last week, have been attacked
for being too bold and relying too much on private enterprise. The
reality is that they're not bold enough. The end of shuttle flights
this year, as scheduled by President George W. Bush, and Obama's
proposed cancellation the overbudget Constellation program, have
received the most congressional and media attention. What's been
neglected has been the core of the president's proposed revamping of
NASA: the development of new technologies to reduce the cost and
complexity of operating in space.
These proposals, however, do not address the key problem that limits
the exploration and exploitation of space — the high cost of reaching
orbit. Launching a satellite into orbit costs approximately $10,000 a
pound. Until that cost dramatically drops, the promise of the final
frontier will remain only a promise. High launch costs have restricted
space to those governments and corporations that can afford tens of
millions of dollars to launch a satellite. Nor are rockets infallible:
Insurance rates for the launch of a communications satellite can be 10
percent to 15 percent of its value. In comparison, the cost of auto
insurance for a teenager seems a bargain. (4/22)
Lockheed Martin Hosts 4,000 Students for Young Minds At Work
Day (Source: CSA)
Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company opened its doors to students,
aged 6-18, for the company’s annual Young Minds at Work Day on Apr. 22.
Approximately 4,000 students participated at company facilities in Colorado, California,
Alabama and Pennsylvania. Click here for information. (4/23)
Lockheed Martin-Built Instruments See "First Light" on NASA's
Solar Dynamics Observatory (Source: CSA)
Spectacular “first light” images and data from the three state-of-the
art instruments on NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) were
unveiled by NASA. The SDO spacecraft was launched aboard a United
Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from the Cape Canaveral Spaceport on
Feb. 11. Click here for information. (4/23)
Lockheed-Built Hubble Space Telescope Marks 20 Years of
Discovery (Source: CSA)
NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope (HST), built and integrated at the
Lockheed Martin Space Systems facility in Sunnyvale, was launched 20
years ago aboard Space Shuttle Discovery, on April 24, 1990, ushering
in a new golden age of astronomy. HST was released by the crew into
Earth orbit the next day and the universe hasn't looked the same since.
Click here for more. (4/23)
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National &
International Items
Editorial: New Focus on Research Can Propel NASA Toward New
Discoveries (Source: Washington Times)
Our space program, once the envy of every nation on Earth, has been
showing its age of late. Its ambitions, though laudable, are starting
to appear a little outdated. Technologies that once dazzled the masses
now seem almost everyday and routine. Visions of new planetary terrain,
once the fodder of science fiction, seem somewhat commonplace in light
of the discoveries made by robotic spacecraft and the capabilities of
other countries. And while the moon remains a fascinating destination,
an entire galaxy of other regions - and countless possibilities - is
just waiting to be explored.
With a renewed sense of energy and vision, NASA is well-positioned to
reinvent itself. While some are lamenting the cancellation of a return
to the moon's surface, the type of inspiring vision proposed is exactly
what is needed to propel the U.S. beyond the trappings of the
technologies developed nearly 50 years ago and to again take a
leadership role through innovation and daring, the qualities that first
took us to the lunar surface in 1969. (4/23)
Hitting the Reset Button (Source: Space Review)
Two and a half months after the release of the 2011 budget proposal,
President Obama finally discussed his plans for NASA last Thursday.
Jeff Foust summarizes the speech and the reaction to it, and the
prospects for change at the space agency. Visit http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1611/1 to view the article.
(4/19)
Asteroid Angst Should Guide Space Role (Source: Orlando
Sentinel)
Folks here should quit whining about President Obama whacking our
boondoggle moon trip and get with the new space program: saving planet
Earth from certain destruction. That gig could keep us fat in NASA pork
for decades to come. Forget the moon. It isn't going to crash into us
and extinguish all life as we know it. Asteroids are another matter.
Eventually one is going to take us out, just like one took out the
dinosaurs. Even a mini-roid, the size of a Thornton
Park bungalow, would
flatten Orlando.
It could happen today, tomorrow or in 1,000 years.
Let me explain in scientific terms. Pretend you are Planet Earth. Your
journey through the solar system is akin to driving down State Road
436. The asteroids are the text-messaging teenagers blasting through
red lights — mindless, unpredictable and undirected. They are mass
multiplied by speed, just waiting for a collision to convert them to
force. Going to the moon is maybe a 20-year gig. Saving the world is
the never-ending journey. (4/20)
Shuttle Backers Say Station Needs Safety Net (Source:
Houston Chronicle)
Pro-NASA lawmakers trying to prolong space shuttle operations heard yet
another argument Thursday for extending the missions — the lives and
safety of astronauts. NASA administrator Charles Bolden told members of
the Senate Appropriations Committee that astronauts aboard the orbiting
International Space Station theoretically could face life threatening
challenges getting back to earth if Russia suffered a
catastrophic loss of Soyuz capsules and the American space shuttle had
retired.
Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Dallas, raised the specter of accidents
rendering the space station's Soyuz lifeboats inoperable or a mishap on
reentry crippling Russia's
program, leaving astronauts without ferry service “for an extended
period of time.” “What are your plans?” Hutchison asked. Her emphasis
on astronaut safety appeared to galvanize the Senate panel that is
weighing President Obama's budget request for NASA.
Sen. Barbara Mikulski, D-Md., chair of the Senate panel, said they
would explore ways for a shuttle to remain on standby beyond scheduled
retirement in September to serve as a potential rescue vehicle. (4/23)
Change in Experiment Will
Delay Shuttle’s End (Source: New York Times)
A $1.5 billion seven-ton cosmic-ray experiment scheduled to be carried
aloft July 29 on the space shuttle Endeavour won’t be ready until
August, according to the experiment’s leader, Samuel Ting of MIT,
delaying the end of the 29-year-old shuttle program.
NASA officials acknowledged that there would be a delay but said they
had not yet decided when the final launching would be. The experiment,
known as the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer, was to be installed on the
International Space Station as one last scientific errand before the
final shuttle launching, of the Discovery, now scheduled for Sep. 16.
Last week, however, Dr. Ting told NASA that he would replace a key
component of the spectrometer, a powerful superconducting magnet, with
an ordinary magnet. The redesigned instrument would not arrive at the Kennedy Space Center
until August. It would be too late for July and is not a part of the
final Discovery mission. (4/24)
NASA Has Yet to Decide on Final Destinations for Space Shuttles
(Source: Business Week)
NASA has yet to decide on the final homes of the space-shuttle fleet as
museums and other institutions across the country clamor to display the
vessels following their retirement later this year. The agency is
weighing requests from more than 20 institutions vying to host a
retired shuttle, a NASA spokesman, said. Those include the Intrepid Sea,
Air and Space Museum, a former aircraft carrier in New York City, and Space Center Houston, the
visitor center of Johnson Space Center
in Texas.
One shuttle, Discovery, is heading to the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum
in Washington.
The Smithsonian got the first space shuttle, Enterprise,
in 1985 and displays it at Dulles airport near Washington. Atlantis and Endeavour
will be available no earlier than July 2011, and NASA plans to make a
decision on their destinations a year before, according to the February
request for information. (4/22)
Discovery Lands Safely at Cape Canaveral Spaceport
(Source: SPACErePORT)
The Space Shuttle Discovery landed safely in Florida on Tuesday morning, ending a
14-day mission to the International Space Station. Click here for a photo of the
landing. (4/20)
Atlantis Journeys to Launch Pad, Perhaps for Final Time
(Source: SpaceFlightNow.com)
Facing what could be the final voyage in its quarter-century of
spaceflight, the shuttle Atlantis emerged from Kennedy Space Center's
assembly building bathed in spotlights and traveled to the launch pad
Thursday. (4/24)
Plan Your Travel Now: Only Three More Space Shuttle Launches
Left (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
Space shuttle Discovery has landed after a 15-day mission to the
International Space Station. Now the real countdown begins and those
wishing to see the last of the shuttle launches have only three shots
left -- one for each of the three remaining orbiters in the fleet. Next
up is Atlantis on STS-132 slated for a 2:30 p.m. launch on May 14. Then
Endeavour will shoot for STS-134, planned for July 29 at 7:51 a.m. The
final launch will be Discovery on Sep. 16 at 11:57 a.m. The last one
will be a media circus and the crowds should be incredible, so if
you're a space enthusiast, you may want to make plans now for where
you're going to stay. (4/20)
MIT: Aerospace Industry Must Evolve New Ways to Recruit and
Retain Future Engineers (Source: AIAA)
Aerospace companies must consider offering newly recruited workers
flexible job assignments and a variety of projects to remain
competitive with other scientific fields of employment. This was among
the conclusions of the "2009 Survey of Aerospace Student Attitudes."
The data were drawn from a survey of 600 aerospace engineering
sophomore and senior undergraduate students at 23 schools across the
country. Click here to view the study
highlights. (4/19)
Top Ten NASA Flubs (Source: Time)
Even as NASA welcomes home the crew of one its final shuttle missions
(just two days after commemorating the 40th anniversary of the
miraculous return of the Apollo 13 crew), it's grappling with how to
adapt to a new President's plan for its future. TIME takes a look at
the dimmer moments in its history: the canceled projects, the failures
and some notable mishaps. Click here to view the article.
(4/19)
Fox Article on NASA Plans Stokes Cold War Fears with False
Experts (Source: Columbia Journalism Review)
Obama’s proposal marks a dramatic shift in the U.S.
program for space exploration, worthy of debate. It’s unfortunate,
then, but unfortunately not surprising, that some news outlets have
turned questions of serious policy into political spaceballs. One week
before Obama’s speech, a science reporter at FoxNews.com, who
frequently provides a platform for climate change skeptics, zeroed in
on long-standing plans to retire the deteriorating space shuttle this
fall, a cost-saving (and perhaps life-saving) move that will force NASA
to depend on Russia’s Soyuz spacecraft for transportation to and from
the space station.
Citing “experts,” Fox’s Gene J. Koprowski endeavors to re-stoke Cold
War fears, writing that the policy “could hold America’s
astronauts in orbit hostage to the whims of the Kremlin.” To back up
the claim, Koprowski quotes Jane Orient, described as a science policy
expert and professor at the University of Arizona.
“The U.S.
has surrendered its advantage in space, conceding the high ground to
others who are probably our enemies,” Orient is quoted as saying. “We
are apparently leaving seven astronauts in space as hostages. Their
loss would be a tragedy, but only a small part of the total disaster.
It would symbolize the lack of respect that America
has for its pioneers.”
First, a comment on sourcing: Orient is neither a science policy expert
nor a professor at Arizona, although
she has been a clinical lecturer in the university’s College of Medicine, according to the
director of the public affairs office. She’s an internist and executive
director of the fringe-conservative American Association of Physicians
and Surgeons, who last appeared in the news filing suit against the
recent health policy legislation. Click here to read the article.
(4/21)
Editorial: Obama's Space
Plan Adds Insult to Injury (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
With all due respect to President Obama, regarding his speech in
Florida on "Space Exploration in the 21st Century," I simply have to
ask, "Are you kidding me?" As one who has consulted on and written
extensively about our space program, worked in the White House and
drafted a speech or two, I know shameless pandering filler when I read
it.
The president's speech had more useless and suspect filler than a New
York City street hot dog — part of that filler being when the president
recognized his chief science adviser, John Holdren. This is the same
man who just told students the United States couldn't be
No. 1 in science forever. When the nation and the program most needed
honesty, true direction and an unwavering belief in the promise of
space, the president chose to add insult to the injury that is the
dismantling of our human spaceflight program. (4/19)
Obama’s Space Program: More Conservative than Bush’s
(Source: National Review)
America
has never had a space policy more visionary or more friendly to private
enterprise. I find the current debate over President Obama’s new space
policy mind-bendingly ironic. We have a radical president bent on
socializing and nationalizing everything from the auto industry to
hospitals, but when he comes up with a policy that actually harnesses
free enterprise, we hear from conservatives nothing but complaints.
Robert Costa, like many, seems to continue to view the space program
through Apollo-colored glasses, 40 years on.
There is no recognition in his or any other criticism of just what a
programmatic disaster Constellation has become (I write “become,” but
it has been this way since its inception five years ago — it only
became clearly recognizable to most in the past year or so, its failure
accentuated by the report of the Augustine panel last fall). Barack
Obama was not responsible for that. As for Costa’s concern about the
loss of jobs at Kennedy
Space Center, he must be unaware that
the shutdown of the space-shuttle program, with nothing to replace it
immediately, was a Bush administration policy laid down more than six
years ago. Never mind that the space program should not be a jobs
program, although, unfortunately, it long ago became one. Where were
the complaints then?
The reality is that Obama’s new space policy is more conservative than
George W. Bush’s was, as I noted two-and-a-half months ago when the new
budget was first released. Don’t take my word for it — ask Newt
Gingrich or Bob Walker, or Dana Rohrabacher, conservatives who follow
space policy closely and aren’t swept up in nostalgia for a Space Age
that never really was, at least not in terms of making human
spaceflight affordable or sustainable. (4/21)
White House Also Seeks to
Consolidate Export Licensing (Source: Space News)
U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates outlined broad reforms of the
U.S. export control system that the White House will seek in the coming
year, including plans to consolidate technology export licensing
functions within a single agency and combine the federal government’s
multiple rosters of controlled military and dual-use items into a
single list. President Obama also plans to stand up a single entity to
enforce arms export rules and will develop a new information technology
infrastructure to help streamline the licensing process. (4/20)
Words, Words, Words ...
NASA, NASA, NASA (Source: Huffington Post)
The proposed annual budget for NASA is only $19 billion ... and do you
know what we spend in Iraq every single day? $7
billion. That's right. Three days from now, we will have spent on Iraq
the entirety of next year's budget for NASA, and then some. So, listen
up. Develop a sense of urgency and a respect for the benefits we gain
from going to space ... without knowing what those benefits will be.
Even if he knew precisely what was going to happen, how far would JFK
have gotten had he described to Congress a world of cell phones and
laptops, YouTube and Google, wireless and texting - for the seeds of
all that technology trace directly back to the communications tech
required for the Apollo program. Demanding usefulness as a precondition
for any NASA budget is wrong-headed thinking; demanding cutting edge
innovation, paradigm-shifting scientific, breakthrough technologies -
that's the ticket! (4/20)
AIA's Blakey Urges Support for Obama Space Plan (Source:
AIA)
Congress should fully support President Obama’s $19 billion proposal
for the NASA budget, but should pay particular attention to a number of
issues, said AIA President and CEO Marion C. Blakey in testimony today.
Blakey repeated her call for a specific strategy that sets clear goals,
milestones and timelines for human exploration beyond low Earth orbit
with the necessary funds to achieve the desired goals.
“We are encouraged that NASA’s proposal extends the International Space
Station through at least 2020, funds valuable Earth and space science
missions, renews technology development and innovation and promotes
commercial spaceflight,” Blakey said at a hearing of the House
Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science and Related
Agencies. “However, the proposed cancellation of the Constellation
program at the same time as the retirement of the Space Shuttle will
cause residual impacts to the space industrial base and its highly
trained workforce.”
It is critical to remember that it is the workforce – the engineers and
skilled technicians – who are the backbone of our space leadership,
Blakey continued. Blakey also expressed alarm at the state of education
for our young people, citing evidence of poor preparation for science,
technology, engineering and mathematics careers. (4/22)
Boeing Praises Obama's Vision for NASA (Source: AIA)
Boeing says it supports President Barack Obama's vision for the future
of NASA, which was described in a speech by the president at the
Kennedy Space Center in Florida last week. "The president's enthusiasm
for space exploration was encouraging," Boeing said in a statement. "We
are pleased that the president remains committed to human spaceflight."
The company said it backed the plan to invest more than $3 billion to
research an advanced heavy-lift rocket for deep space exploration but
emphasized that a deep-space capsule also is necessary. (4/20)
Embry-Riddle University
President Endorses NASA’s New Direction (Source: Parabolic Arc)
In a sign of growing support in Florida for President Obama’s new space
policy for NASA, the president of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
has endorsed the plan in a letter sent to several of the state’s
newspapers. University President John P. Johnson wrote:
"To narrow the post-Space Shuttle gap in U.S. human access to space,
the plan will rely on commercial rockets like the Atlas V, Delta IV,
and Falcon IX. This puts the commercial space transportation industry
in a situation similar to the early days of aviation, which grew
rapidly after the government established contracts to carry air mail.
Some in the industry believe commercial launchers may not be up to the
task, but the President clearly believes they can. We agree. Back in
1927, Embry-Riddle’s founders helped establish our nation’s first air
mail service, so we know something about the power of
entrepreneurship." (4/22)
Bill Would Help Unemployed Space Workers Teach (Source:
Orlando Sentinel)
Rep. Suzanne Kosmas (D-FL) on Monday moved to lessen the impact of the
retirement of the space shuttle on the Florida workforce with a bill
that would make it possible for space workers to teach science, math,
engineering and technology to kids. Modeled on the successful Troops to
Teachers program, the Space to Schools Act would encourage displaced
aerospace professionals, including scientists, engineers, and
technicians, to pursue careers as elementary, secondary, or vocational
school teachers. The goal is to give former NASA workers the chance to
inspire children with their first-hand experience in the space program.
The bill would provide eligible participants with up to $5,000 cash to
be used towards obtaining a teaching license or certificate.
Participants who commit to working in a high need school for at least
three years will be eligible for a $5,000 bonus. An Advisory Board will
be created under the direction of the Secretary of Education to
collect, consider and disseminate feedback on the success of the
program. (4/21)
AIAA Chief Endorses Kosmas' "Space to Schools Act"
(Source: AIAA)
Robert Dickman, executive director of the American Institute of
Aeronautics and Astronautics, issued a statement in support of HR 5903,
the "Space to Schools Act of 2010": "On behalf of AIAA's 35,000
members, I urge the passage of HR 5903, the 'Space to Schools Act of
2010.'
This legislation addresses the critical teacher shortfalls in the
'STEM' subjects of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math, by
encouraging veteran scientists and engineers, and other experts, to
enter the classroom and help educate the next generation of scientists,
engineers, mathematicians, and technology workers. The bill will
provide our nation's schools with a direct infusion of qualified,
motivated, and able talent. (4/24)
Space is the Now Frontier (Source: Indiana Daily Student)
In case you had not heard, NASA’s most recent long-term plans have been
to bring the International Space Station (ISS) to a close and instead
focus on returning to the moon. The Constellation Program was designed
to have astronauts on the moon by 2020. However, last Thursday, when
President Barack Obama pledged his full support to the future of NASA,
he was not speaking about going to the moon. Rather, the additional $6
billion that he intends to invest in space program has at its heart
larger goals. The purpose is to travel deeper into space than ever
before. And, according to President Obama, the true future of NASA is
Mars. (4/19)
Editorial: NASA Reboot (Source: Chicago Tribune)
Last week Neil Armstrong, the first man on the moon, released an open
letter to President Barack Obama, the first Trekkie in the White House.
The former astronaut is riled because Obama canceled a planned 2020 U.S.
moon mission and yanked NASA funding for the rocket that was supposed
to take astronauts there. Obama intends to outsource some of the
spacecraft business to commercial space companies, which he thinks are
more innovative, nimble and cost-conscious than NASA.
Armstrong warned that pulling the plug on the rocket program, called
Constellation, dooms the U.S. to a "long downhill
slide to mediocrity." Without the ability to loft humans into orbit for
many years to come, he wrote, the U.S. is destined to become
a "second- or even third-rate" space power. Sorry, Neil. But that's one
giant leap … of unwarranted pessimism. Obama is charting a fresh course
for American space exploration that is grounded in reality. Click here to read the editorial.
(4/22)
Editorial: Obama Should
Open the Cabinet to NASA (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
Here are four recommendations: create the Department of Science,
Technology and Space; reinstitute the National Space Council; create
sustainable funding for space infrastructure; and appoint an ambassador
to the space-faring nations. As an independent agency, NASA has been
left to defend itself to Congress and the public. Those who support
continued independent status for NASA have never appreciated that all
the Cabinet departments and agencies are in the room with the president
and the Office of Management and Budget. NASA and science has not been
served well by being outside the room -- the Cabinet room.
President Obama's campaign space policy stated that he would
re-establish the National Space Council. The council can be the
institution where space policy is coordinated among civilian, military,
commercial and national-security stakeholders. President Obama simply
needs an executive order to fulfill this promise.
There is a core of basic space infrastructure funded by the Defense
Department and NASA, including launch sites, ranges and spaced-based
assets. For NASA, this infrastructure takes money away from science;
for the military, it takes funds away from defense. A 1-cent monthly
tax on space-assisted services would raise enough revenue to modernize
and maintain our national space infrastructure. More important, it
would enable long-term planning and upgrades without taking funds away
from science and defense. Click here to read the rest. (4/17)
President Obama's Vision
for Space Exploration (Source: Space Review)
Last week President Obama outlined his vision for human spaceflight and
space exploration. In the first of a two-part article, G. Ryan Faith
analyzes crew and transportation elements of President Obama's recently
unveiled space exploration policy. Visit http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1610/1 to view the article.
(4/19)
Musgrave: Put Human Spaceflight in "Partial Hibernation"
(Source: The Atlantic)
Story Musgrave is well aware of the obstacles to effecting change in an
organization that involves as many Congressional interests and
individual fiefdoms as NASA does. He understands Congressional
resistance to any changes that might affect jobs back home, as well as
how entrenched the different camps at NASA are. Indeed, he says it's a
"valid question" whether the operational structure and approach of NASA
could even be changed at this point without disbanding the organization
as it now stands and rebuilding a new research institution from scratch.
But Musgrave believes it still could happen. "If you have a strong
enough leader with an artistic vision of where we go next," he says,
"the public is going to get behind it. Congress is not going to give
you a good space program. You have to create it and sell it to the
public, and the public forces it to happen. And you've got to do that
in terms of good project management with a specific and achievable goal
and a specific timeline, like we did in the 1960s." Even if, he says,
the goal has to be less costly, because the funds are more precious now.
Musgrave labeled the International Space Station a "$100 billion
mistake" and thinks that "human space flight needs to be put in partial
hibernation. You continue to develop the capability, but send the
robots first." (4/22)
Human Spaceflight: Diversify the Portfolio (Source: Space
Review)
Throughout the agency's history NASA has had single, monolithic human
spaceflight programs, many of which have failed. Alan Stern argues that
it's time to break that pattern and establish a diversity of efforts
that together stand a better chance for success. Visit http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1609/1 to view the article.
(4/19)
Will Private Spaceships Have the Right Stuff? (Source:
MSNBC)
The White House's policy for future spaceflight relies on a crucial
unknown: Can private companies build and operate space vehicles safe
enough to carry astronauts? Many veteran engineers from NASA are
skeptical about the idea that less experienced teams with fewer
resources could possibly replicate the space agency's success at
developing spacecraft to carry humans.
But the task may be far less daunting than the skeptics think. This is
because the "goal posts" in human spaceflight have shifted over the
decades, and the required know-how has spread as the general level of
aerospace engineering capabilities has risen. The commercial space
shippers of the 2010s will not be recapitulating the research,
development and designs of the 1960s.
First of all, the space taxis being created to serve the new policy are
being designed for an entirely different mission. Unlike America's
previous spaceships, these new taxis will be focused only on delivering
passengers from Earth’s surface to an existing space facility and back
again. There’s no need for long periods of independent orbital
cruising. There’s no need for carrying equipment to be later used for
moon flights. Click here to read the article.
(4/22)
Whose Human Flight Safety
Standards, Again? (Source: Hyperbola)
NASA's new human spaceflight standards may not be as rigorous as those
it already demands for high profile payload launches. For high profile
"class A" payload missions to be launched on a "category three"
low-risk launch vehicle, NASA's certification requirements ask for a 14
consecutive successful flight history.
The Delta-4 doesn't have that, SpaceX's Falcon-9 won't until 2013 at
least, Orbital's Taurus-2 never will because it only has eight
commercial resupply missions manifested, and so only the Atlas-5 has an
adequate launch history. Sorry, I hear you say, but that is for
payloads, not crew. So are you saying that crews will ride on rockets
with a lesser launch history than payloads?
Admittedly the certification requirements also mention two alternative
flight histories for candidate vehicles. They are three consecutive
successful flights and six successful flights, three of which must be
consecutive. But for each NASA must conduct reviews and audits and for
the three-flight history, comprehensive acceptance test results are
required as well. And, none of the above boosters have the standards
against which they should be designing, or re-designing, boosters for
commercial crew services. (4/23)
Musk: Shelby's View Costly
to Alabama
(Source: Huntsville Times)
The CEO of a company seeking to carry American astronauts into space
says U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Tuscaloosa, is fighting a new national
space plan that would bring billions into North Alabama. "I just don't
understand what his beef is," Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX, said. "I don't
really understand why Senator Shelby is so opposed to commercial crew,"
Musk said, "given that Atlas and Delta are right there in Alabama,
because no one's going to be a bigger winner in commercial crew than
United Launch Alliance."
Obama would give NASA a new $6 billion to ramp up a commercial space
industry while NASA studies deep-space missions. "For ULA it's a
certainty," Musk said of winning contracts. "For SpaceX it's much more
a question mark." Much of the deep-space research would be done at Marshall Space Flight
Center over
the next five years under a $3.1 billion appropriation, Obama says.
(4/25)
Shelby: Obama’s Plan Abandons America’s “Only Chance to Remain
a Leader in Space” (Source: Parabolic Arc)
During a hearing this morning in Washington, Alabama Sen. Richard
Shelby fired a blast at the White House and NASA Administrator Charles
Bolden, who appeared in person to testify. The Republican senator
accused the White House of surrendering America’s lead in space to
the Chinese, Russians and Indians by canceling the Constellation
program and trying to squander money on an unproven commercial market
that will fail to deliver. (4/22)
Key Democratic Senator Barbara Mikulski Reluctant to Endorse
Obama’s NASA Plan (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
President Barack Obama still has some work to do to sell his NASA plan
to Congress, as a key Democratic senator Thursday did not commit to
supporting his proposal that would drastically alter how the United
States sends its astronauts into space. The reluctance of U.S. Sen.
Barbara Mikulski of Maryland
could prove problematic for Obama. She heads the Senate panel with
oversight of NASA's budget and could block his plan to rely more on
commercial rocket companies to send astronauts into orbit.
"Right now I feel like a deep-space probe; I'm in reconnaissance," said
Mikulski, after a Thursday hearing of the commerce, justice and science
appropriations subcommittee. A key issue, she said, was whether
commercial companies would be held to the same safety standards as
NASA. NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said safety remains the
agency's highest priority and that NASA was developing
human-spaceflight safety requirements for commercial companies.
"I can assure everybody, before we put a human in a vehicle and launch
him off this planet, we are going to have the safest possible vehicle,"
he said. "That's going to be the case with every astronaut that I
launch, whether they're on a privately produced vehicle, a
foreign-produced vehicle or any other vehicle." (4/22)
Nelson Aims to Save Ares I Testing (Source: Orlando
Sentinel)
Sen. Bill Nelson of Florida had nothing but praise for President Barack
Obama last week when the commander-in-chief visited Florida and touted
a new White House plan to rely on commercial rockets to launch a new
era of space exploration. But Nelson still isn’t 100 percent happy and
on Wednesday inserted language into Senate budget plans that could
revive a NASA-run rocket that Obama wants to cancel. While this budget
outline is ultimately non-binding, the resolution shows Congress isn’t
yet sold on Obama’s space vision.
Nelson’s provision calls on NASA to reinstitute testing of the Ares I
rocket, which was designed to carry a crewed capsule named Orion to the
International Space Station by 2015. Problems have dogged the program,
however, and Obama proposed killing the Ares I after an independent
space panel concluded last year that it would not be ready before 2017
— even with an increase in funding. (4/22)
Senate Leaders Make Move
for More NASA Money (Source: Houston
Chronicle)
Senate leaders took a step toward saving a component of the
back-to-the-moon program by adding $1 billion to NASA's proposed budget
for continued testing of the heavy-lift rocket motor that would be used
for deep-space exploration. Senate Budget Committee chairman Sen. Kent
Conrad, D-N.D. unveiled the Democrats' version, a resolution that would
increase NASA's current $18.7 billion budget by 5.3 percent to provide
uninterrupted testing of the Ares I-X rocket motor. The committee must
debate and vote on the proposal before it goes to the Senate floor.
(4/21)
Oklahoma Senator Not a Fan
of NASA Plan
(Source: Space Politics)
I [Jeff Foust] asked Sen. James Inhofe (R-OK) his thoughts about
President Obama's new plans for NASA. “Well, I don’t think the
president has done many things right—I can’t think of anything—and
certainly cutting back on the space program, which is what he’s doing…
His priorities are social engineering, they’re not the military,
they’re not infrastructure, they’re certainly not the space program,”
he said. “I often say to people that we’re going to change the House
and the Senate in November, and a lot of these things that he’s done we
can undo, and I plan to do that.”
His comments appeared to be in contrast with those of a number of other
guests at an Oklahoma Rocket Racing event, including Aldrin, Peter
Diamandis, and Richard Garriott, among others, who talked up throughout
the day the prospects of the commercial sector taking over
transportation of astronauts to low Earth orbit. So I asked Inhofe: do
you support that aspect of the plan? His ambiguity-free response: “No,
I do not.” (4/25)
New Plan for NASA is
Better for Ohio (Source: Columbus
Dispatch)
It generated controversy for scuttling manned missions to the moon, but
President Barack Obama's new plan for NASA could generate jobs and
dollars for Ohio. Several aerospace companies might return jobs to Cleveland because of the new responsibilities
that would be given to the Cleveland-based NASA Glenn
Research Center under the plan, said
Ramon Lugo, acting director of NASA Glenn. "It's an exciting time," he
told members of the recently formed Ohio Aerospace and Business
Aviation Council at a meeting this week. (4/25)
How Does Wallops
Island
Factor Into New NASA Policy? (Source: Parabolic Arc)
I’m wondering if there’s not more to Sen. Mikulski's interest in NASA's
new direction beyond a wholly legitimate and sincere concern over
astronaut safety. Mikulski helped to persuade Orbital Sciences
Corporation – a major employer in nearby Northern Virginia — to launch
its new Taurus-2 commercial rocket from Wallops Island
instead of the Cape Canaveral Spaceport. Taurus-2 is being funded under
NASA’s COTS program, and is a forerunner for the much larger expansion
of commercial space proposed by the Obama Administration.
So, we’ve got a very interesting situation here. We have a launch
complex that has suddenly found itself at the forefront NASA’s
commercial space efforts due, in part, to a powerful senator who now
holds a key vote as to whether that approach will be broadly expanded,
with potentially major benefits flowing to two key states.
Interesting. Very interesting indeed. NASA has pledged to spend a lot
of money to upgrade the infrastructure and facilities at Cape Canaveral. I’d be wondering whether the
space agency had a little money to spend on the
little-spaceport-that-could over on the Eastern
Shore. It should be interesting to see how this plays out.
(4/23)
Virginia: Spaceport Merits State Budget Support (Source:
Times Dispatch)
Virginia Governor Robert F. McDonnell has been consistent in his vision
to make Virginia's commercial spaceport the best in the nation, most
notably with his recent budget amendment to increase the operations
budget for the Virginia Commercial Space Flight Authority. The 2010
General Assembly would be wise to follow the governor's spaceport
budget lead today in unflappable bipartisanship.
The Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport is now being readied for commercial
space launches to haul supplies and cargo to the International Space
Station beginning next year, following the aging space shuttle's
retirement. The first launch of the yet-to-be-tested Taurus-2 booster
with the Cygnus spacecraft will mark not only the beginning of a new
era in Virginia but the dawn of the
commercial space age in America.
Recently, Mike Gold, a representative from Bigelow Aerospace, visited Wallops Island
and suggested that the Virginia
spaceport is a prime candidate for launch of Atlas V boosters to
private space stations enabling microgravity international commercial
research in orbit. Without the unwavering state budget support of the
spaceport in these austere times, the multibillion-dollar space launch
business of Orbital Sciences Corp., and the would-be space business of
Bigelow Aerospace would be most certainly lost to the now-hungry
commercial spaceports of Florida.
(4/21)
Orbital Delays Taurus-2 Inaugural Launch from Virginia
Spaceport (Source: Space News)
Orbital Sciences Corp. says a series of minor delays in development of
the company’s new Taurus 2 rocket and its Cygnus space station cargo
transporter will push the inaugural Taurus-2/Cygnus launch into May or
June 2011 instead of the March date earlier targeted. Orbital Chief
Executive David W. Thompson said that Taurus 2 and Cygnus, which are
the company’s two biggest development programs, nonetheless are moving
forward without major roadblocks. As of March 31, three-quarters of
Orbital’s total investment in Taurus 2 and a little over half of its
investment in the Cygnus cargo carrier had been completed. (4/20)
New Mexico Spaceport Authority
Accepts Landeene Resignation (Source: Las Cruces
Sun-News)
Spaceport America
officials met Wednesday to formally accept the resignation of Spaceport
Authority Director Steve Landeene. After a closed-door meeting, they
also appointed board Chairman Fred Mondrag-n, based in Santa Fe, to act
as executive director until a replacement is named. Mondrag-n, also
state economic development secretary, said he'll spend two to three
days a week in Las Cruces or Truth or Consequences while in the role.
The board granted another of its members, Ben Woods, who's also a New Mexico State University
official, authority to sign documents on Mondrag-n's behalf, if
Mondrag-n isn't able to. Landeene, 47, earns $155,546 annually. He'll
be paid through May 14, though officials have said he's only working in
an advisory capacity until then. (4/22)
Homans to Return to New Mexico Spaceport Post (Source: Las
Cruces Sun-News)
Gov. Bill Richardson announced Friday that Taxation and Revenue
Secretary Rick Homans will serve as chairman of the Spaceport Authority
until a replacement executive director is hired. Homans previously
served as Spaceport Authority chairman from 2005-07, before leaving the
post for a job in the private sector.
"We are reaching a critical point in our efforts to recruit new jobs to
New Mexico, and I will be
working closely with Secretary Mondrag-n to pursue some high-profile
companies to the state," Richardson
said. "At the same time, we need all the expertise we can get as we
complete construction of Spaceport America, and I am tapping
Secretary Homans to lead that effort." Homans said the Spaceport
Authority will move "as quickly as possible" to hire an executive
director. (4/25)
Alaska Spaceport Readies for
Quick-Launch Capability (Source: Aviation Week)
The nation's northernmost spaceport is a state-of-the-art facility with
a perfect 14-mission record and two more missions planned this year.
The facility is ideal for polar launch operations, and is gearing up to
establish a capability for launching satellites within 24 hours of
mission go-ahead. Click here to see the video. (4/21)
Jacksonville Well-Suited for
Privatized Space Industry (Source: Jacksonville
Business Journal)
Jacksonville
stands to benefit when the private space industry lifts off. Even
though NASA is winding down the space shuttle program, Florida is still an ideal site for private
shuttle launches and as the industry tightens its supply chain, Jacksonville’s manufacturing base and logistical
advantage positions it well, said Frank DiBello, director of Space Florida, the
state’s aerospace economic development agency.
Aerospace companies with a local presence such as Boeing Co. and
Northrop Grumman Corp. could move their space-related operations from
the West Coast to Northeast Florida.
“NASA is going to turn over logistics support, transportation of cargo
and eventually transportation of the crew to the private sector,”
DiBello said. (4/20)
Stimulus Brings 800-1000 Tech Jobs to Space Coast, Including
Space Contractor (Source: Florida Today)
Bolstered by $18.8 million in federal economic stimulus bonds, Lighting
Science Group plans to build a major manufacturing facility on the
Space Coast and create 832 new jobs. "It's going to allow us to move to
a new location and to create approximately 1,000 new extra jobs,"
President Khaled Haram said.
Lighting Science, which will provide LED lighting technologies for NASA
and other customers, proposes to hire 214 workers this year, 443
workers next year and 175 more in 2012. County
Commissioners
unanimously awarded a total of $28.6 million interest-free "recovery
zone facility bonds" to the Satellite
Beach technology firm
and two Melbourne
companies: Embraer and Legacy Southeast Investments, LLC. (4/21)
Florida’s Silicon Valley of Space (Source: SpaceKSC blog)
My concern is that local leadership has totally failed to diversify the
local economy in the more than six years since President Bush cancelled
the Space Shuttle. To this day, local elected officials still demand we
continue with an unsustainable status quo. They're oblivious to the
reality that NASA has spent the last six years shutting down the
Shuttle program. Many of the second- and third-tier contractors have
gone out of business or moved on to other things.
The Constellation program was assumed to absorb some of the job losses,
but as was documented by the Augustine Panel report Constellation
wasn't going to launch Ares I until at least 2018, two years after the
International Space Station was scheduled to be decommissioned and
splashed into an ocean because ISS money would be transferred to fund
Constellation. There would be no need for Ares I if there's no ISS to
fly to. Augustine also found that the Ares V moon program wouldn't be
ready to fly until 2028, if ever.
But local elected officials and union officials don't care about that.
They want to keep the federal government in the role of the coal
company that will one day abandon the West Virginia mining town. The
Silicon Valley of Space can only happen if Suzanne Kosmas, Bill Posey,
Robin Fisher and the others fighting Obama stop pandering and start
working to diversify our local economy. If they don't change their
attitude, the Space
Coast may
become another New River Gorge, a string of mining towns abandoned to
the forces of Nature once the coal ran out. (4/25)
Uncrewed Military Space Planes Usher in New Weaponry Era
(Source: Washington Times)
The Pentagon's test launch of two unmanned space vehicles Thursday
highlights efforts to develop a generation of high-altitude, high-speed
weapons systems that could make the heavens a new battleground. At the
Cape Canaveral Spaceport, the Air Force went ahead with the
long-anticipated maiden flight of the troubled X-37B space plane, which
launches vertically into orbit atop an Atlas rocket but descends into
the atmosphere lands horizontally.
Meanwhile at Vandenberg Air Force Base, DARPA test launched another
space plane - the Hypersonic Technology Vehicle 2 (HTV-2), known as the
Falcon. The Falcon is a suborbital vehicle launched on a solid-fuel
rocket booster made from a decommissioned ballistic missile. Just
outside the atmosphere, the plane separates from the rocket and glides
back to Earth at more than 13,000 mph - more than 20 times the speed of
sound.
Thursday's 30-minute, 4,100-nautical-mile test flight was slated to end
with the Falcon crashing into the ocean just north of the Kwajalein
Atoll in the Pacific. DARPA's $308 million research program is building
two Falcon vehicles, the second of which is scheduled for launch early
next year. Defense analysts say the Falcon is part of the Pentagon's
effort to develop the capability to strike anywhere in the world with a
conventional warhead in less than an hour - known as Conventional
Prompt Global Strike, or CPGS. (4/23)
Atlas V Rocket Thunders Aloft With Mini-Military Shuttle
(Source: Florida Today)
An Atlas rocket hauled a new military spaceplane into orbit tonight
after a spectacular sunset launch from the Cape Canaveral Spaceport.
The 19-story rocket blasted off from Launch Complex 41 at 7:52 p.m. and
then climbed into a clear blue sky as the sun was setting in the west.
United Launch Alliance announced a successful mission, so presumably
the spacecraft is on its way to an operational low Earth orbit. (4/22)
Air Force: Robotic X-37B Space Plane Not a Weapon (Source:
Space.com)
The hush-hush X-37B robotic space plane launched by the United States
Air Force late Thursday is many things, but it's no space weapon,
according to high-ranking official with the project. Gary Payton, Air
Force deputy undersecretary of space programs, scoffed at speculation
that the X-37B space plane is the vanguard for a space weapon fleet and
said its main purpose is to test space technology, not orbital weapons.
"I don't know how this could be called a weaponization of space,"
Payton said. (4/23)
The Very Real Plans to Put Marines in Space (Source:
Popular Mechanics)
When then Marine Lt. Colonel Roosevelt Lafontant first started pushing
the idea of a space plane for the U.S. Marine Corps in 2002, skeptics
didn't even bother to suppress their laughter. But now, with a Concept
of Operations (CONOPS) completed (but not yet released by the
Pentagon), people are beginning to take note of the Small Unit Space
Transport and Insertion, or SUSTAIN, the notional concept of a Marine
space plane.
The Marines' space plane takes the Corps' slogan of "first to fight" to
the extreme: It could transport a squad of Marine riflemen to anyplace
on earth within 2 hours, and then extract them after their mission is
complete. Though the goal is appealing—imagine delivering well-armed
Marines at hypersonic speed to a suspected Osama bin Laden hideout or
besieged embassy—the concept seemed outlandish to many when it was
first proposed. (4/20)
Uncertainty Looms for
3-Year-Old ORS Office Amid Declining Budgets (Source: Space News)
The DOD's Operationally Responsive Space (ORS) Office has demonstrated
in its three years of existence that there are alternative ways to
design and build military spacecraft, but a variety of factors are
contributing to a sense of uncertainty about the office’s future,
government and industry sources said.
The Pentagon stood up the ORS Office in 2007 at Kirtland Air Force
Base, N.M. The ORS Office has a three-tiered strategy for delivering
timely data from space platforms. This ranges from using existing space
assets in different ways to the ultimate ORS goal of being able to
build and launch augmentation or replacement satellites in just a few
days. Click here to view the article.
(4/23)
Stratcom Rings
Missile-Warning-Gap Alarm (Source: Aviation Week)
Concerns are once again surfacing at U.S. Strategic Command about a
potential gap in the critical mission area of space-based missile
warning. Last December, Gen. Kevin Chilton, Stratcom commander, issued
an urgent-need request to the Operationally Responsive Space (ORS)
office for alternatives to augment the mission. Delivery of Sbirs
GEO-1, which will be the first spacecraft bound for geosynchronous
orbit to replace DSP, is at least seven years late. And the program,
now estimated at $15 billion, is costing far more than expected. (4/19)
There's My Flying Car! Thanks DARPA (Source: AIA)
The Pentagon's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, in charge of
exploring futuristic technologies, has given the green light for the
development of a flying car not unlike those envisioned in the
space-age TV show "The Jetsons." The Transformer, if successful, will
allow U.S.
soldiers to ride in four-person flying cars that can fly like small
airplanes, drive on the ground like an SUV and may not require a runway
to become airborne. Completion of the project is expected by 2015.
(4/23)
Europe Keeping Increasingly Capable Eye on Orbital Debris
(Source: Space News)
Germany’s five SAR-Lupe radar reconnaissance satellites in 2009 faced
more than 800 close encounters with orbital junk or other operating
satellites, including 32 passes at less than one kilometer from another
SAR-Lupe spacecraft and one that required a collision-avoidance
maneuver, the head of the new German Space Situational Awareness Center
(GSSAC) said. The vulnerability of SAR-Lupe is one reason why the
German army created the space-surveillance unit in Uedem, a facility
that is expected to be expanded in the next three years as Germany and other nations in Europe create their own space-monitoring
capability. (4/21)
Japanese Craft to Deliver
Space Rock to Outback (Source: Sydney Morning
Herald)
A Japanese spacecraft will land in Australia in June, bringing
with it samples from an asteroid found 300 million kilometers from
Earth. The unmanned Hayabusa spacecraft, launched in May 2003, will
become the first spacecraft to bring asteroid material to Earth when it
lands in Woomera, South
Australia, later this year. The spacecraft will
land within the 130,000 square kilometer Woomera Prohibited Area, the
largest land-based test range in the world. "Australia is proud to support Japan
in this world-first expedition," Senator Carr said. (4/21)
Japan's ISS Kibo-Mounted Sensor Stops Transmitting
(Source: Space News)
An environmental sensor attached to the the international space
station’s Kibo Japanese Experiment Module to monitor global
distributions of trace gases in the Earth’s stratosphere stopped
transmitting April 21, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency said
April 23. The Japanese sensor, the Superconducting Submillimeter-Wave
Limb-Emission Sounder, or SMILES, was put into service last November to
help scientists understand ozone depletion and global climate change.
(4/23)
Japan
Considering Withdrawal From Space Station? (Source: Yomiuri Shimbun)
What does Japan hope to achieve in space? Japan has long considered
its involvement in the international partnership behind the ISS to be a
central pillar of its manned space activity. But recently, calls for a
review of this policy have been getting louder. A typical example is
the proposal compiled this week by a panel of experts for Land,
Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Minister Seiji Maehara, who is in
charge of space development. The panel recommended the government
reexamine the benefits of the current space development program.
Japan
has attached great importance to being part of the international team
involved with the ISS, primarily because it is more efficient--in both
money and time--than singlehandedly developing a manned craft for space
exploration. The government believed this strategy would provide
valuable experience in space activities. Even so, Japan
spends 40 billion yen on ISS-related activities, out of the annual 200
billion yen budget for the space program, excluding national
security-related expenses.
Yet there have so far been only a few space experiments that have
eventually led to discoveries that can have an industrial application.
Applications to conduct tests using the Kibo experiment module--now
part of the space station--have only trickled in. The panel's proposal
has been worked out based on these realities. The proposal did not rule
out that Japan
might withdraw from the ISS program in the future, and suggested that
this budget could then be diverted to satellite development or other
projects. (4/22)
China Open To Human Spaceflight Cooperation (Source:
Aviation Week)
China’s human spaceflight program is developing a 13-ton cargo carrier
to supply the space station it plans to orbit late this decade, but the
program’s leader is ready to discuss using it for International Space
Station logistics, as well. A Chinese space official says his agency is
prepared to cooperate across the board on human spaceflight with NASA
and other agencies, including joint human missions and unpiloted
logistics with the 5.5-ton-payload-capacity cargo vehicle it plans to
test after 2014-16. (4/24)
Mexico
Gets a Space Agency, Plans Spaceport (Source: Science)
Mexico's
congress voted by a huge majority to create a new national space agency
which could someday launch rockets from the Yucatan peninsula. The Agencia
Espacial Mexicana (AEXA) won't be sending astronauts into space or even
building its own rockets. Instead, backers say the goal is to help Mexico
develop a space policy and stimulate investment in aerospace
technology. The idea "is to choose technologies where Mexico can invest and develop
expertise" so that in 10 years the country can catch up with nations
such as Brazil and Canada.
Mexican scientists backed the plan, but the biggest boost may have come
from NASA astronaut José Hernández, a U.S. citizen with Mexican
roots who has flown on the shuttle Discovery and who lobbied for the
creation of the agency. Hernández told Mexico's
El Universal that "to avoid brain drain, I think Mexico
should create opportunities like AEXA to wager on the academic and
technological development of our country." AEXA will be headquartered
in the state of Hidalgo; plans also
call for a launch pad in an unpopulated region of the Yucatan. (4/22)
Will Russia
Help Build Mexico's
Spaceport? (Source: Space Daily)
US astronaut
Jose Hernandez and engineer Fernando de la Pena will travel will visit Mexico
to inspect a spaceport site and study details of the future
construction. The facility will be built near the city of Chetumal, on the east coast of the Yucatan Peninsula. The space center, to
be located some 15-20 kilometers (9-12 miles) away from residential
locations, will built on about 30 hectares of land.
Hernandez has said the Mexican space agency was ready to cooperate with
all countries in peaceful space exploration. According to the
astronaut, Mexico
is technically unable to carry out rocket launches by itself at the
moment, but will probably be able to in ten years or so. For now, he
said, the country should obtain the necessary technology.
Russia and Mexico
signed an agreement on cooperation in space research and exploration
for peaceful purposes in 1996. In March 2009, a delegation of experts
from Russian space agency Roscosmos visited the Latin American state to
discuss the creation of the Mexican space agency with local lawmakers.
Roscosmos deputy head Sergei Savelyev said Russia was ready to help Mexico
develop its national space program on a commercial basis. (4/24)
Russian Rocket Sends New Satellite to Orbit for North America
(Source: SpaceFlightNow.com)
Beginning a 9-hour launch sequence, a Proton rocket lifted off Saturday
morning with a new communications satellite to replace two aging
spacecraft serving North America. The 18-story rocket launched at from
the Baikonur spaceport in Kazakhstan. (4/25)
Russia To Build
Submarine-Detecting Satellite (Source: Space Daily)
Russia
could build a satellite for the detection and tracking of submarines
from space, a defense industry spokesman said on Thursday. Vladimir
Boldyrev, of the Kosmonit science and technology center, said the group
had developed a space satellite module that could carry out remote
sensing of the sea and "detect submerged submarines." (4/20)
Russian Solar Probe Lost (Source: Space Daily)
Russian scientists acknowledged Monday that solar research satellite
Koronas-Foton has been lost due to technical problems, barely a year
after its launch. The probe, also known as CORONAS-Photon, was launched
into orbit by Russia
on January 30, 2009 but lost connection with its controllers at the end
of the year when a problem with its solar power led to battery failure.
(4/19)
Russia's Bulava Missile Designer Blames Industry For Test
Failures (Source: Space Daily)
Yury Solomonov, the designer of the troubled Bulava ballistic missile,
said that the poor state of the Russian defense industry was the main
cause of the weapon's failed test launches. Solomonov resigned from his
post as general director of the Moscow Institute of Thermal Technology
(MITT) in July 2009 after a series of unsuccessful Bulava tests, but
retained his post as general designer of the missile. "I can say in
earnest that none of the design solutions have been changed as a result
of the tests. The problems occur in the links of the
design-technology-production chain," Solomonov said. (4/20)
India
To Return To Russian Boosters After Failed Rocket Launch (Source:
Space Daily)
India
will temporarily go back to using Russian-produced space equipment
after its indigenous GSLV rocket failed, an ISRO spokesman said. The
Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle, GSLV D3, fell into the Bay of Bengal 304 seconds after liftoff as its
cryogenic engine failed to perform. "Five launches are scheduled for
the 2010-2011 fiscal year, including two GSLV and three PSLV launches.
The next two GSLV will be launched with Russian cryogenic engines," a
spokesman said. India
earlier bought seven Russian-made 12KRB oxygen-hydrogen booster
sections, five of which have already been used for launches. (4/20)
NASA Astronaut Trainer Would Like to Support India
Astronaut Corps (Source: PTI)
Michelle Ham, a trainer for astronauts at NASA, has expressed her
willingness to extend her support to the ISRO's human space flight
program, slated for 2015-16. "I would love to be part of the Indian
space program when you guys start sending people to space," she said.
Besides NASA, Michelle has trained astronauts of European, Japanese and
Russian space agencies in past seven years. According to ISRO
officials, the space agency has already drawn an outline for astronaut
training center which would come up near Bangalore. (4/20)
Does Canada
Have a Future in Space? (Source: Univ. of Western Ontario)
Space and space assets should be an essential element of government
infrastructure, says Steve MacLean, president of the Canadian Space
Agency. Canada
has gleaned more than its fair share of space research from investments
in the International Space Station, says former astronaut Steve
MacLean. MacLean presented the annual Nerenberg Lecture on the subject
“It is rocket science,” offering his perspective as a former astronaut
on the complexity, benefits and future challenges of space exploration.
Will our space research keep pace with the needs of a growing nation?
Many of today’s experts in the field are past the mid-point of their
careers and the financial resources have not been available to develop
the next generation of experts. MacLean says Canada
must build on its heritage in space exploration and foster the synergy
in the academic, government and industry circles. (4/22)
Lockheed Beats Estimates Despite Health Care Charge
(Source: AIA)
Health care reform forced a $96 million charge at Lockheed Martin
Corp., contributing to an 18% drop in first-quarter profit. The company
also said health care issues -- specifically the elimination of a tax
deduction for Medicare costs -- would shave 15 cents per share off its
full-year earnings. Despite those caveats, Lockheed reported a "pretty
clean operational quarter," according to CFO Bruce Tanner, with none of
the company's four divisions seeing a decrease in sales. (4/22)
ATK Must Shrink to Remain Competitive (Source: Salt Lake
Tribune)
Facing an uncertain future with no deep-space flights scheduled for
years if not decades, NASA Administrator Charles Bolden suggested that
ATK has only one option if it wants to remain competitive in the solid
rocket motor business -- downsize.
ATK's predicament, which could result in the loss of another 2,000 jobs
in northern Utah,
isn't its fault. Bolden told a Senate panel on Thursday that the
company and other rocket motor developers had only responded to NASA,
which had vastly overestimated the number of missions it could handle.
"Unfortunately the solid rocket industry has been overcapitalized for
many, many years," Bolden told an appropriations subcommittee as part
of his push for President Barack Obama's new direction for NASA. "We
are carrying 70 percent of an industry for a capability that no one
uses but NASA." (4/23)
ULA Lays Off Nearly Two
Dozen Texas Workers (Source: Brownsville
Herald)
United Launch Alliance laid off 22 workers in March at its plant at Harlingen, a
company official has confirmed. ULA spokesman Chris Chavez in Colorado said
the company, formerly Lockheed-Martin, has laid off a total of 77
workers. The cutbacks in Harlingen were
a combination of managerial and production positions, he said, adding
that 137 employees remain in Harlingen.
The cutbacks are a result of the company nearing completion of orders
for a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense project, Chavez said. “That’s
a U.S. Army missile used to destroy incoming missiles,” Chavez said.
“In Harlingen,
we build the metallic structures for the THAAD missile under a
subcontract to Lockheed-Martin.” (4/25)
Andrews Space To Focus On Small Payloads (Source: Aviation
Week)
Andrews Space has formed a service company focused on providing
routine, low-cost space access for small payloads. SpaceFlight Services
is kicking off its business venture by signing an agreement with SpaceX
to manifest payloads using excess capability on upcoming Falcon
9/Dragon missions. SpaceFlight says that under this deal customers will
have access to multiple scheduled flight opportunities, including
dedicated scientific free-flyer missions using SpaceX’s DragonLab
variant of the Dragon vehicle.
SpaceFlight says payload space is being offered on missions in 2012 and
beyond. “Our focus is on creating a robust market for the launch of
small payloads,” says Jason Andrews, president and CEO of Andrews
Space. For the future, SpaceFlight “could include other launch
providers, although I believe SpaceX is the most progressive in this
area,” he adds.
The company will be a commercial provider of small payload flight
services for fixed and deployable cargo and spacecraft. It will use a
process which “allows payloads to be rapidly manifested, certified,
integrated and flown to space by simplifying launch integration
planning and providing a single customer interface.” (4/16)
Orbital Blames Galaxy 15
Failure on Solar Storm (Source: Space News)
The in-orbit failure of the Orbital Sciences-built Intelsat Galaxy 15
telecommunications satellite on April 5 was likely caused by unusually
violent solar activity that week that damaged the spacecraft’s ability
to communicate with ground controllers, Orbital officials said. Similar
events have occurred, if less severely, on other Orbital spacecraft
over the years, and all of these satellites were returned to service.
Company officials said they remain confident that once Galaxy 15’s
commercial traffic has been off-loaded to another Intelsat satellite
and full testing of the stricken spacecraft begins, Galaxy 15 will
recover its full operational status. (4/20)
Orbital Announces First Quarter 2010 Financial Results
(Source: Orbital)
Orbital Sciences Corp.'s first quarter 2010 revenues were $296.2
million, compared to $295.7 million in the first quarter of 2009. First
quarter 2010 operating income was $17.4 million, compared to $11.2
million in the first quarter of 2009. Net income was $9.3 million in
the first quarter of 2010, compared to net income of $9.2 million in
the first quarter of 2009. (4/20)
Amid Defense Cuts, Raytheon Lays Off 225 in Arizona
(Source: AIA)
In its first mass layoff since 2002, Raytheon Missile Systems announced
this week that it is laying off about 225 salaried workers in Tucson,
Ariz. The layoffs follow the cancellation of three major programs due
to cuts in the defense budget, but the company said the layoffs were
part of a broader realignment of resources. (4/20)
Raytheon Beats Q1 Estimates, Stands by 2010 Outlook
(Source: AIA)
Raytheon Co. exceeded analysts' expectations with first-quarter net
income of $445 million and reiterated its full-year earnings forecast
of $4.75 to $4.90 a share. "The threat environment has evolved over the
last four to eight years ... and the priorities now front and center
from a DoD perspective line up well with the core components at
Raytheon," said CFO David Wajsgras. (4/23)
|
California Aerospace Events Calendar
William J. Lynn, III, U. S. Deputy Secretary of
Defense, April 27
“REDEFINING THE FRONT
LINES OF NATIONAL SECURITY” The Necessity for Public/Private
Partnerships to Defeat Cyber Threats to America’s Economy and
Infrastructures. This talk will be given in Marina Del Rey at the
Ritz-Carlton at 2:00 p.m. Advanced Event Registration Required. RSVP to
Robin Rountree at rountree@xxxxxxx or 310-448-8436 by April 20.
NASA JPL to Host California’s
Climate Educator Conference, May 1-2
NASA'’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory near Pasadena,
Calif., is hosting an educator
conference, May 1-2, 2010, on the unique climate of the state of California. California
contains most climate zones and almost all types of weather. These
phenomena are in response to local and global forces including
atmospheric circulation, the Pacific Ocean
and the state's unique and varied topography. Human factors play a role
as well, from global impact to local decisions on urban growth, fire
and water resources. For more information, visit
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/education/index.cfm?page=130
Press Conference: Snoopy
License Plates to Support
CA Museums, Zoos,
etc, May 3
This is the kickoff of an
effort to create the official California Snoopy license plate. When the
plate is produced, proceeds will go towards supporting museums in California
communities through a new competitive, general operating grant program.
To make this happen we need owners of registered vehicles in California to stand up and let us know they want
to see Snoopy on a California
license plate. The grant program will benefit the breadth of California
museums, from art and history museums to science centers, natural
history museums, zoos, and aquariums. Visit http://www.snoopyplate.com/
ITAR Export Compliance
Training in Hawthorne
on May 6
The El Camino College
Center for International Trade Development will provide ITAR export
compliance training for aerospace businesses, at the Business Training Center,
13430 Hawthorne Blvd.,
Hawthorne. To
register or to request further information, please contact Darling
Garcia at (310) 973-3148 or dagarcia@xxxxxxxxxxxx.
Space Day at San Diego Air & Space Museum,
May 8
The San Diego Air
& Space Museum
will sponsor their annual Space Day event on May 8. Visit
http://www.aerospacemuseum.org/education/upcomingevents.html
Update on the California Space Center,
May 12
Please join us for an
update about a multi-purpose, multi-year community project to be
located on 71 acres outside the front gate of Vandenberg Air Force Base
on Highway 1. The Center will create more than 1,700 jobs and attract
up to 500,000 visitors each year. The proposed project includes a
launch viewing site, rocket garden, visitors center, education complex,
conference center, IMAX-like theatre and a mission support facility. It
is planned that the community will benefit from the facilities and
attractions at this site. The project will highlight the past, present,
and future of California
space enterprise. Santa
Barbara Maritime Museum, 113 Harbor Way, Suite 190, Santa
Barbara, CA,
8:30am-11am. Contact Diana Minor for information and to RSVP at
Dianna.Minor@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx or 805.349.2633
Women in Aerospace Event
in Washington
on May 18
Aerospace 2010: Challenges
and Opportunities at the Dawn of a New Decade, organized by Women in
Aerospace, will be held at the Hyatt Regency Washington D.C on May 18.
For more information visit: www.womeninaerospace.org
CSA Luncheon Roundtable
with Dr. Charles Elachi, May 19
At the Sheridan Gateway
Hotel, LAX. Join us and guest speaker, Dr. Charles Elachi, Director,
Jet Propulsion Laboratory at CSA's second luncheon roundtable for 2010!
Registration and networking begins at 11:45 followed by luncheon
program at 12:15 pm. Please RSVP to Elizabeth Burkhead at 805-349-2633
or Elizabeth.Burkhead@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx. Register at
http://www.prestoregister.com/cgi-bin/order.pl?ref=csa-event&fm=11
Small Payload Rideshare
Workshop, May 18-20
The Office of Space Launch
(OSL) within the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) and NASA’s Launch
Services Program sponsor the Small Payload Rideshare Workshop. The
workshop agenda focuses on investigating concepts and technologies that
will enable the small payload community to meet future launch needs and
provide the best possible launch capabilities in a cost-effective
manner. Visit http://www.sprsa.org/
ITAR Export Compliance
Training in Hawthorne
on May 20
The El Camino College
Center for International Trade Development will provide ITAR export
compliance training for aerospace businesses, at the Business Training Center,
13430 Hawthorne Blvd.,
Hawthorne. To
register or to request further information, please contact Darling
Garcia at (310) 973-3148 or dagarcia@xxxxxxxxxxxx.
California Space Day Sacramento, May
25
This is an opportunity for
space enterprise stakeholders to meet and discuss space policy and
regulatory issues with state legislators and key executive branch
officials. Our goal will be to ensure a greater awareness of the impact
of space enterprise on the every-day lives of ordinary Californians,
advocate a positive, supportive business climate, and promote science,
math and hands-on, contextual learning in our public schools.
Participants will assemble for orientation in the morning, be placed
into teams for appointed meetings throughout the day, lunch with
members of the Governor’s Administration and enjoy a fun-filled evening
reception with members of the Legislature and their staffs. Click here to register.
Space Investment Summit 8 planned
on May 26
SIS-8 will continue a well
established series of forums offering a full day of exclusive dialogue
sessions with prominent investment leaders and an entrepreneurial
showcase of pre-qualified space-related business plans. The summit
series helps investors gain knowledge that might guide future
investment decisions and assists entrepreneurs by increasing investor
interest in their efforts and developing new partnership opportunities.
Visit http://www.spaceinvestmentsummit.com/
Edwards AFB Small Business
Seminar, May 26-27
The first day includes
briefings and a base tour. The second day is matchmaking (small
businesses have 15-minute sessions with federal, state, and primes
representatives regarding upcoming procurement and subcontract
opportunities. Visit
http://www.californiaspaceauthority.org/images/pdfs/EAFB-Small-Business-Seminar-May2010.pdf
Space, C4 & Cyber:
Prevail, Prevent, Prepare & Preserve, June 3-4
The Greater Los Angeles
Chapter of the Association of the US Army presents a two day symposium
on various aerospace,military and industry subjects. A highly
interactive discussion of challenging and timely topics in an intimate
venue. Panels and questions and answers from the experts. At the Westin
Long Beach.
Visit www.ausa.org/glac for registration and information.
CSA Members Invited to Toulouse Space
Show 2010, June 8–11
The French Aerospace
Valley is
pleased to invite California Space Authority members to the Toulouse
Space Show. Six focused conferences/symposia will be offered: Space
Applications, S@tcom, Disruptive Technologies, Nereus, Space Economy,
and Space for the Mediterranean Region. Visit
http://www.toulousespaceshow.eu for information and registration. (3/19)
ITAR Export Compliance
Training in Hawthorne
on Jun. 10
The El Camino College
Center for International Trade Development will provide ITAR export
compliance training for aerospace businesses, at the Business Training Center,
13430 Hawthorne Blvd.,
Hawthorne. To
register or to request further information, please contact Darling
Garcia at (310) 973-3148 or dagarcia@xxxxxxxxxxxx.
Suspect Counterfeit
Detection, Avoidance and Mitigation, June 17-18
Aerospace sectors have seen launch delays and issues in space due to
non-compliant materials. A semiconductor vendor’s technical data sheet
can prove meaningless unless subjected to in-house or 3rd party
validation. To compound the matter a pacemaker circuit card today is
more likely to be a Class 0 device with a sensitivity level of less
than 50 volts within an ESD controlled environment. In 1971, the Intel
4004 was equal to about 2300 transistors. Modern day densification has
led to a 2 billion transistor equivalency with the Intel® Itanium®
processors (Code Name: Tukwila) in 2010. Are you or your supply chain
properly handling Class 0 ESD sensitive devices with validated
packaging during the parts inspection process? Case studies will show
how non-compliant or suspect counterfeit Dip Tube Rails, JEDEC Trays
and Tape & Reel can pose real issues during transport, hand
assembly and automation. A review of how semiconductor and medical
device packaging countermeasures utilize advanced material solutions.
In an interactive case study format, the seminar will review not only
non-conformance related issues, but also validation methods often
overlooked in a Suspect Counterfeit Countermeasure Program.
http://cpd.conted.ox.ac.uk/electronics/courses/counterfeit_detection.asp
Astrobiology Summer
Program for Teachers at SFSU on Jul. 18-24
The Astrobiology Summer
Science Experience for Teachers, or ASSET, is being held July 18-24,
2010, at San Francisco
State University. ASSET will feature
presentations by leading astrobiology researchers from the SETI
Institute, NASA and the California Academy of Sciences. Scientists will
share the latest in astrobiology research on the origin of life on
Earth, the extreme conditions in which life exists, Mars exploration,
the formation of planetary systems around sun-like stars, and the
search for life in the universe. The 6-day workshop features a
combination of cutting-edge science, inquiry-based teaching and
learning, and leadership skills development to support teachers and
teacher trainers. Visit http://www.seti.org/epo/ASSET
NASA Ames and Girl Scouts Plan
"Destination" Event on Jul. 22 - Aug. 1
Girl Scouts of Northern
California, in collaboration with NASA’s Ames
Research Center, is hosting a Girl Scout Destination
in the San Francisco
Bay area,
July 22-Aug. 1, 2010. This dynamic program is designed to excite girls
and inspire them toward stewardship and innovation in all they do. The Future is Green is a marriage of the Girls Go
Tech and Green by Nature initiatives. This cutting-edge adventure will
offer girls the opportunity to explore how green technology in
astronomy, environment and robotics can help save Earth. Visit
http://www.studio2b.org/escape/destinations/event_details.asp?eventid=523
SETIcon Event Planned in Santa Clara on
Aug. 13-15
Make contact at SETIcon
with other fans of science fact and science fiction in a comfortable
setting. Enjoy a wide range of mind-expanding activities, plus a
banquet where you can rub elbows with the speakers and other
enthusiasts, an evening party, and lots of time for discussion. Visit
http://www.seticon.com for more information and tickets.
AIAA Space 2010
Conference/Exhibition & 28th International Communications Satellite
Systems Conference in Anaheim
on Aug. 31 - Sep. 3
This joint conference will
be attended by leaders from all corners of the space community,
including key government and industry decision-makers. Visit http://www.aiaa.org/events/space/10-0008_SPACE_CFP_FINAL.pdf
APSCC Satellite Conference
& Exhibition, October 5-7
Hilton Hotel, Tokyo, Japan. Entering its
sixteenth year, the APSCC’s 13th Annual Asia-Pacific Satellite
Communications, Broadcasting and Space Conference and Exhibition, APSCC
2010 will identify new business breakthroughs ahead of the industry and
share the insights for the fast growing market and the social
responsibility with leading speakers drawn from of the Asia-Pacific
region under the theme of “Beyond Survival, It is Responsibility.”
Visit http://www.apscc.or.kr/event/apscc2010.asp
California SpotBeam Awards Dinner to
be Held on Nov. 17
Join us at The Proud Bird
Restaurant, Los Angeles
for CSA's signature event! Dr. Seth Shostak, Seniro Astronomer, SETI
Institute has confirmed as Master of Ceremonies!
|
Last Week’s DOD Contract
Awards in California
Northrop Grumman
Shipbuilding, Inc., Pascagoula, Miss.,
is being awarded an $114,003,000 modification to previously awarded
contract (N00024-10-C-2308) to exercise the option for long lead time
material in support of the construction of DDG 114 under the DDG 51
class destroyer program. This contract provides propulsion gas
turbines, generators, controllable pitch propeller, and other
components to support construction of DDG 113 and DDG 114. Work is
anticipated to be performed in Cincinnati,
Ohio (32 percent); Walpole, Mass.
(30 percent); Charlottesville, Va. (11 percent); Erie,
Pa. (7 percent); Anaheim, Calif. (7 percent); Warminster, Pa.
(2 percent); and various locations (11 percent). The effort is
anticipated to start immediately with a base period of performance
ending 37 months after contract award. Contract funds will not expire
at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command,
Washington Navy Yard, D.C., is the contracting activity.
Nova Group,
Inc.-Underground Construction Co., Inc., JV, Napa, Calif., is being awarded an $11,229,161
firm-fixed-price contract modification, with incremental funding of
$23,721,980 during fiscal 2011, for a total of $34,951,141 for the
construction to replace the defense fuel storage facility tanks at
Defense Fuel Support Point, Naval Base Point Loma. The work to be
performed provides for the design-bid-build construction and consists
of two new 125,000 barrel above-ground fuel storage tanks for 250,000
barrels of fuel storage capacity. The work also
completes the full-distribution piping and product manifold; installs a
new lube oil facility; completes the truck loading and unloading rack;
constructs a new control tower building; and completes the project
demolition and site restoration. After award of this modification, the
total cumulative contract value will be $138,167,095. Work will be
performed in San Diego,
Calif., and is expected to be completed by
January 2014. 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.
CJW-MZT Project II, Santa
Ana, Calif., was awarded on April 21 a $5,188,000
firm-fixed-price contract to design and build F-16 Aggressor squadron
operations electrical infrastructure, Nellis Air Force Base, Las Vegas, Nev. Work is
to be performed in Nellis Air Force Base, Las Vegas, Nev.,
with an estimated completion date of July 31, 2011. Bids
were solicited on the World Wide Web with eight bids received. U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers, Los
Angeles, Calif.,
is the contracting activity.
General Atomics
Aeronautical Systems, Poway,
Calif., was awarded on April 20 a $17,046,878
cost-plus-incentive-fee contract. This
definitize letter contract is in support of the extended
range/multi-purpose system production readiness test asset contract.
Work is to be performed in Poway, Calif., with an estimated completion date of
Sept. 30, 2011. One bid was solicited with one
bid received. U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command, CCAM-AR-A, Redstone Arsenal, Ala., is the contracting activity.
URS/Lear Siegler Services, Germantown,
Md., was awarded on April 20 a
$10,701,270 firm-fixed-price contract for the maintenance and
logistical services at Sierra Army Depot in Herlong, Calif. Work is to be performed in Herlong, Calif.,
with an estimated completion date of March 20, 2013. Fifteen
bids were solicited with seven bids received. U.S.
Army TACOM Contracting Center, Warren,
Mich., is the
contracting activity.
A&D GC, Inc., Santee,
Calif., is
being awarded $9,940,000 for firm-fixed price task order #0002 under a
previously awarded multiple award construction contract
(N62473-09-D-1658) for design and construction of a Navy operational
support center at Luke Air Force Base in Phoenix, Ariz. The new
multi-story structure is intended for use by 800 Navy members. The task
order also contains one planned modification which, if issued, would
increase the task order value to $10,740,000. Work will be performed in
Phoenix, Ariz., and is expected to be
completed by September 2011. Contract funds will not expire at the end
of the current fiscal year. Eight proposals were received for this task
order. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Southwest, San Diego, Calif., is the contracting activity.
Northrop Grumman Systems
Corp., Carson, Calif., was awarded on April 16 an $18,254,115
firm-fixed-price contract for Type 1 encryption provided by the
programmable inline encryption device. The
contract will have a period of performance of five years and a ceiling
of $300,000,000. Work is to be performed in Rochester, N.Y., with an estimated completion
date of April 16, 2015. Bids were solicited on
the World Wide Web with two bids received. CECOM
Acquisition Center, Fort Monmouth, N.J.,
is the contracting activity.
Tactical Air Operations*,
Coronado, Calif., is being awarded a
$49,000,000 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for the
acquisition of turn key training support for Navy static line and free
fall parachute training in support of the Naval Special Warfare
Advanced Training Command in Coronado, Calif. Work will be
performed in Otay, Calif., and is expected to be completed in
April 2015. Contract funds in the amount of $171,274 will expire at the
end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively
procured through an electronic request for proposals and two offers
were received. The Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division, Orlando, Fla.,
is the contracting activity.
Complex Solutions, Inc., Kailua,
Hawaii, is being awarded an
$18,947,160 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity time-and-material
contract modification for technical and educational support services to
the Naval
Postgraduate School's Center for Civil
Military Relations education and training program. Work will be
performed in Kailua, Hawaii, or Huntsville,
Ala. (4 percent); Monterey, Calif. (9 percent); Tampa,
Fla. (2 percent); various
locations inside the contiguous United
States (17 percent); and various locations outside
the contiguous United
States (68 percent). Work is expected
to be completed by March 2011. Contract funds will not expire before
the end of the fiscal year. This announcement combines services for the
U.S. Navy (99 percent) and the governments of Austria, Egypt,
Indonesia, and
Singapore
(1 percent) under the Foreign Military Sales program. This contract was
competitively awarded through Electronic Commerce Online Web site, with
two offers received. The Fleet and Industrial
Supply Center, San Diego, Calif.,
is the contracting activity.
Lockheed Martin Mission
Systems & Sensors, Moorestown, N.J., is
being awarded a $15,000,000 modification to previously awarded contract
(N00024-03-C-5115) for management and engineering services to maintain
and modify, as necessary, the design of DDG 51 class combat system
compartments and topside arrangements, in support of the Program
Executive Office Integrated Warfare Systems. Work will be performed in
Moorestown, N.J. (37 percent); Bath, Maine (25 percent); Pascagoula,
Miss. (22 percent); San Diego, Calif. (6 percent);
Washington, D.C. (5 percent); Norfolk, Va. (3 percent); Port
Hueneme, Calif. (1 percent); and Syracuse,
N.Y. (1 percent), and is expected to be completed by September 2011.
Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington Navy
Yard, D.C., is the contracting activity.
Lockheed Martin Mission
Systems & Sensors, Moorestown, N.J., is
being awarded a $15,000,000 modification to previously awarded contract
(N00024-03-C-5115) for engineering services for DDG 51 class and CG 47
class Aegis Combat System installation, integration and test, and fleet
life-cycle engineering support in support of Program Executive Office
Integrated Warfare Systems. The required services for DDG 51 class
ships and CG 47 class ships include program management and operation
support; quality assurance; configuration management; ship design
integration; fleet life cycle engineering support; installation
support; firmware maintenance; combat system test and evaluation;
Navy-furnished material support; special studies; and future-ship
integration studies. Work will be performed in Moorestown, N.J. (50
percent); Baltimore, Md. (25 percent); Norfolk, Va. (8 percent);
Washington, D.C. (5 percent); Akron, Ohio (5 percent); Mayport, Fla. (2
percent); San Diego, Calif. (1 percent); Oxnard, Calif.
(1 percent); Bath, Maine (1 percent); Pascagoula, Miss. (1 percent);
and Dahlgren, Va. (1 percent), and is expected to be completed by
September 2010. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the
current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington Navy
Yard, D.C., is the contracting activity.
|
Compiled
for the California Space
Authority
by Embry-Riddle Aeronautical
University,
Edward
Ellegood
--
Jamie Foster, COO, California Space Authority (CSA)
http://www.CaliforniaSpaceAuthority.org/
3201 Airpark Dr. #204, Santa Maria, CA 93455
(805) 349-2633 x122, FAX (805) 349-2635
===
To be removed from this list, simply contact:
Jamie.Foster@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
===
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