[CSA] CSA: SpotBeam California, April 26, 2010

  • From: Jamie Foster <jamie.foster@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • To: csa@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
  • Date: Mon, 26 Apr 2010 11:21:05 -0700

 

SpotBeam California

Voice, Visibility, Edge

 

An e-publication of the California Space Authority (CSA).  SpotBeam items do not necessarily reflect the policy or opinions of CSA or its members and stakeholders.  Unsubscribe   Subscribe

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)

 

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 ===

Other related posts:

  • » [CSA] CSA: SpotBeam California, April 26, 2010 - Jamie Foster