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California
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April 12, 2010
California Items
Governor Schwarzenegger
Establishes Office of Economic Development (Source: CSA)
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger today signed an executive order
establishing the Governor’s Office of Economic Development (GoED), a
one-stop shop to help businesses acquire the direction, information and
resources they need to invest, succeed and expand in California. Visit http://www.gov.ca.gov/press-release/14844/ for
information. (4/10)
Yuri’s Night 2010 at Ames (Source: CNET)
Hundreds of people at NASA Ames Research Center in Mountain View, Calif., joined revelers around
the world Saturday night for Yuri's Night, an annual worldwide party to
celebrate Soviet Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin's first flight into space on April 12,
1961, and honor the spirit of
exploration and innovation in art and culture. The two-day celebration
at NASA Ames featured an all-day Friday educational event with speakers
and seminars, followed by the all-day Saturday festival put on by
Symbiosis with art installations and music on the NASA tarmac.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-30252_3-20002220-246.html
QuakeFinder
First Quarter 2010 Newsletter Available (Source: Stellar
Solutions)
Titles include: New Sensor Locations, “EQL-Earthquake Lights”: Another
Precursor?, and New Lab Facilities and Data Center Architecture. Find
this issue and other QuakeFinder news here:
http://www.quakefinder.com/news/
CA Space Enterprise Strategic
Planning to Hold Issue Webinars (Source: CSA)
This April, the California Space Authority (CSA), facilitator of the
collaborative statewide California Space Enterprise Strategic Plan
2010-2012, will be hosting several webinars around critical issues
identified by the CSA Board’s appointees to the Space Enterprise
Advisory Council (SEAC). A webinar will also be
held to revisit the collaborative statewide vision that the California space enterprise
community has adopted for its past two strategic plans. Unlike previous
planning periods, in which stakeholders had to commit to serving on
various statewide collaboratives, CSA’s new process replaces
domain-specific collaboratives with issue-oriented forums (mostly
e-forums), without requiring long-term committee-like participation.
Details:
http://www.californiaspaceauthority.org/images/pdfs/CSA-April2010-StratPlan-Webinars.pdf
California 7th Graders Win Space Station Education Project (Source:
NASA)
An experiment to determine if the radius of a circle of revolution
affects the speed of the outer revolving object in microgravity is one
of the winning entries for NASA's Kids in Micro-G. This project will
involve 7th graders from the Hamlin School in San Francisco. It is one of nine
elementary-to-middle school projects selected nationwide. The NASA
program will compare the results of experiments performed by the
students with those of astronauts flying on the International Space
Station. Click here for a list of the winning
projects. (4/9)
Regional
Design Competition for High School Students, May 1st (Source: CSA)
The 2010 California Project Lead the Way Design Challenge season is
here! Cal Poly Pomona is hosting a Regional POE
Competition on May 1st. The flier is here: http://www.csupomona.edu/~engineering/locators/pltw/design_competition_2010.pdf
Monterey Students
Receive Call from Orbiting Astronauts--Including Former Teacher
(Source: CSA)
Eighth grade students and children of the military community in
California's Monterey Peninsula spoke with astronauts orbiting 220
miles above Earth on April 10. Click here for information. (4/10)
San Diego Team Delivers Camera For Next Mars Rover
(Source: Spce Daily)
Malin Space Science Systems has delivered the two cameras for the Mast
Camera instrument that will be the science-imaging workhorse of NASA's
Mars Science Laboratory rover, to be launched next year. The
instrument, called Mastcam, has been tested and is ready for
installation onto the rover, named Curiosity, which is being built at
NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. (4/7)
Deborah A. Wreyford Named President of The W Foundation
(Source: W Foundation)
Bay Area philanthropist Deborah A. Wreyford is the new President of the
space education group, The W Foundation. This organization is a
volunteer staffed & privately funded 501c3 non-profit corporation,
which Ms. Wreyford and her husband, Ken Winans, founded in 2004. It
owns and displays one of the largest private collections of U.S., Russian and Soviet space
exploration artifacts in existence.
Items from this extensive collection of space exploration artifacts
have been on display for many years at such Bay Area institutions as Chabot Space Science Center, The USS Hornet Museum,
and it sponsors the "Navy in Space" exhibit during Fleet Week. It has
also attracted legendary figures such as Apollo 12 Astronaut Dick
Gordon, award winning actor Bill Pullman and video game designer Will
Wright to its Board of Advisers. Ms. Wreyford is also involved with The
San Francisco Fleet Week Association, The Magic Theatre, and The
Wreyford Family Foundation. (4/10)
CSA
Luncheon Roundtable with Dr. Charles Elachi of JPL, May 19 (Source: CSA)
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
NASA Awards Ames Business Operations and Technical Services
Contract (Source: NASA)
NASA has selected Deltha-Critique NSS Joint Venture of New
Orleans to receive a contract for business operations and technical
services at NASA's Ames Research Center at Moffett Field, Calif. The
contract has a maximum value of $70 million. (4/6)
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National &
International Items
Discovery Launches on Mission to ISS (Source: Space Today)
The space shuttle Discovery lifted off on schedule Monday morning on a
mission to deliver cargo to the International Space Station. Discovery
launched at 6:21 am EDT (1021 GMT) into clear pre-dawn
skies, after a largely problem-free countdown. Discovery will carry out
a 13-day mission to the station, ferrying the Leonardo cargo module
filled with equipment and other supplies for the ISS. Two astronauts,
Clay Anderson and Rick Mastracchio, will perform three spacewalks
during the shuttle's time at the ISS to perform maintenance work on the
station. (4/5)
Neil
deGrasse Tyson: What NASA Means to America's Future (Source: CSA)
Mr. Tyson shares some of his views about NASA and America’s future during a
question/answer period at the University of Buffalo on April 2, 2010.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQhNZENMG1o
Discovery Antenna Failure Could Impact Mission Length or
Objectives (Source: Florida Today)
NASA continues to wrestle with the failure of a high-speed data antenna
aboard Discovery that could wind up forcing an extension of the
shuttle's planned 13-day mission or dropping some scheduled work. "We
are talking about possibly extending, we are talking about deferring
mission content -- everything is on the table at this point," said
Courtenay McMillan, an International Space Station flight director,
during a 2 a.m. news briefing at Johnson Space Center in Houston. (4/8)
Some Details Emerge on
Obama Visit
(Source: Florida Today)
President Obama will arrive at KSC at 1:45 p.m. on April 15. He will make
live remarks at 3 p.m. and depart at 3:45
p.m.,
the White House said. On Thursday, NASA Administrator Charles Bolden
said Obama would use the visit to make a "major space policy speech."
That will be followed by four panel discussions involving invited space
experts. Obama's visit will be shown on NASA TV, Bolden said. (4/9)
Is a Space Exploration Compromise Planned? (Source: NASA Watch)
There seems to be a general consensus forming among NASA, OSTP, and NSC as to what sort of
rethinking might be acceptable to all parties with regard to where NASA
human spaceflight is going: Ares 1 and 5 remain cancelled. Orion is
continued - but in a "Lite" variant that could fly on human-rated
EELVs. The commercial crew/cargo approach would remain unchanged.
Meanwhile, NASA will continue to fly the Space Shuttle, albeit at a
stretched out rate (2 or so flights/year) while ET production is
restarted.
In addition to closing the "gap" for American human spaceflight,
stretched out Space Shuttle operations will allow a rapid
implementation of a Shuttle-derived heavy-lift rocket for cargo (not
crew). NASA will also seek to develop a human-rated exploration
spacecraft that only operates in space. The initial version will likely
use unused ISS modules and Constellation systems. Its component parts
would be launched by the Shuttle/Shuttle-C. The exploration vehicle
will be assembled on-orbit at the ISS. This exploration spacecraft will
be a pathfinder for more complex systems that will be able to traverse
cis-lunar space on a regular basis.
It is anticipated that NASA will be called upon to do a routine 30-60
study following the summit and that formal White House approval would
come some time during the Summer. This "compromise" will bring layoff
numbers back down from the looming abyss that overt Constellation
cancellation and Shuttle retirement would cause; keep the
Administration's interest in commercial space alive; retain in-house
NASA experience in human spaceflight systems, bring the ISS to its full
potential; and field human-rated spacecraft capable of leaving LEO much
sooner than Constellation is ever likely to have done. (4/6)
Mars Society Foresees Obama Policy Shift (Source: Mars
Society)
Information received by the Mars Society indicates that there is a real
chance that on April 15, President Barack Obama will announce a bold
new space policy that breaks substantially from the current disastrous
“flexible path to nowhere” policy. The reaction to the policy from
Congress has accordingly been extremely negative, and not merely from
Republicans, but also, in fact especially, from Democrats, who face
electoral destruction in Florida should the plan remain in
place. The pressure to break from it has therefore become extreme.
The nominal objective claimed by both camps is Mars. The question at
issue is it "Mars someday" or "Mars in our time." This is THE central
issue, not just because many of us would prefer to get to Mars sooner
rather than later, but because "Mars someday" means that no real
flyable hardware will be built. In contrast, "Mars in our time" means
we really develop an HLV and other flight hardware, and not only keep
flying, but make real progress. (4/6)
Space Scientist: NASA
Needs a Strategy to Mars (Source: WDBO)
For Dr. Pascal Lee, the faces of children light up when he begins to
talk to them about exploring Mars. Studying the Red Planet has been the
core of his work at the Mars Institute at NASA's Ames Research Park in California. "I think Mars is the
exploration destination of the 21st Century," he told WDBO after an
appearance at the Orlando Science Center. "There's still a lot to
look at and explore on the moon, but just as there is a lot to explore
on the bottoms of the oceans on the Earth it doesn't mean we shouldn't
move on to other bodies," he added. (4/8)
Lost in Space (Source: Fox News)
"The U.S. has surrendered its advantage in space, conceding the high
ground to others who are probably our enemies," said Jane Orient, a
science policy expert and professor at the University of Arizona. "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."
NASA Watch Comment: Huh? Who is being left
in space as a "hostage"? Who is "Jane Orient"? This whole article reads
like a spoof that you'd expect to see on The Onion. Oh wait - its Fox
News. Nevermind. (4/9)
NASA Plans New Robot
Generation to Explore Moon, Asteroids (Source: Space.com)
American astronauts may not return to the moon anytime soon, but
robotic explorers seem poised to go there — and just about everywhere
else — in the solar system in short order. NASA's new space exploration
plan includes a heavy emphasis on robotic missions that would land on
the moon, Mars and even asteroids to pave the way for human
exploration. The agency's 2011 budget calls for funding two such
missions starting next year. One of those missions is a lunar
expedition that would test the ability to control robots remotely from
Earth, or the International Space Station, on the moon. (4/7)
Report: U.S. Space Industry Faces More Level Playing Field
(Source: AIA)
The U.S., long the global leader in the space industry, will take its
place on a more level playing field, according to the Pentagon's
interim Space Posture Review, which was sent to Congress last month.
The country faces increased competition from dozens of countries in the
market and in expertise in fielding space capabilities, threatening the
historical advantages that U.S. industry has enjoyed.
(4/6)
NASA Contractors: Abandoning the Constellation Moon Program?
(Source: Orlando Sentinel)
While some members of Congress are gearing up for a battle royale with
the White House over President Barack Obama’s plans to cancel NASA’s
Constellation moon program, some of the agency’s main aerospace
contractors appear to be abandoning the troubled rocket project that
was once billed as “Apollo on steroids.” Recently rocket engine
manufacturer Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne have told other contractors
— namely Lockheed Martin, Boeing, ATK and the United Space
Alliance — that it will no longer support their lobbying efforts to
keep Constellation alive. Their departure from the elite lobbying
effort — confirmed by very reliable sources and PWR officials — is a blow to
the effort to keep the moon program going over the objections of the
President. Pratt & Whitney is the nation’s No. 1 rocket engine
maker. (4/7)
Group Releases Strategic
Analysis Report on Space Industry (Source: DSER)
The Deep Space Emergency Response (DSER) organization has released a
new report titled “Space Policy via Macro-Economic Analysis.”
Conventional wisdom among many space policy experts is that
sustainability arises from technology development and job creation,
butt subtle, unaddressed drivers are equally critical; and without
including them in policy, the manned space flight industry will be
unable to graduate from a solely government-subsidized affair.
The authors considered a macro-economic approach to the space flight
industry, dealing with the broader issues of why money is spent instead
of focusing on details of how much a part costs. This approach, and the
studies that followed, ultimately revealed subtle differences between
the manned orbital space flight and the remainder of the space
industry. These differences explain why that market continues to
experience difficulties in achieving commercial independence and the
related goal of sustainability. Something else is needed.
“This work has been submitted to NASA and government officials, and met
with great unofficial support,” said Dr. Gordon Smith, Ph.D., co-author
of the report. “As the debate is moving further into the public eye, we
felt it the right time to introduce our ideas on a broader stage.”
Click here for information. (4/5)
Houston Counting Down the Months
on Space Shuttle Program (Source: AIA)
After the space shuttle makes its final flight in September, shuttering
the program will take until February 2011, according to a government
report. That's seen as good news for space workers in Houston, where the shuttle
program is worth about $200 million per month. "It's good news in that
we indirectly will be keeping the program alive, we'll keep people
employed and the program goes forward," says Houston City Councilman
Mike Sullivan. But what the Houston area really needs,
Sullivan says, "is a commitment from the current administration,
President Obama, to extend the life of the program and let us go on
with long-term plans." (4/6)
If Shuttles Kept Flying, What Would Mission Be? (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
The looming reality of the Shuttle's retirement, and the 9,000 KSC job
losses that go with it, has shuttle supporters scrambling to extend the
program. But their efforts face several hurdles — not all of them
political. Because when asked what they would fly aboard more shuttle
missions, NASA officials shrug. "Right now, we wouldn't have a list of
things to go fly," said a NASA manager. "The way we built the manifest
was to give station everything it needed through 2015 or 2020 without
the shuttle flying."
Despite that assessment, Florida lawmakers are pressuring
President Obama to add more shuttle flights as he prepares to host an
April 15 space summit at or near KSC. They argue the shuttle is the
only reliable U.S. vehicle now capable of
launching crew or cargo to the station and are pushing NASA to study
what the agency cut from its delivery manifest when the Bush
administration announced its plans to retire the shuttle, hoping to
find something else that can be taken into space.
Space Shuttle Retirement Leaves Russia Grinning (Source:
Yomiuri Shimbun)
Monday's launch of space shuttle Discovery marked the 131st shuttle
flight since Columbia blasted off in 1981, but the shuttle fleet will
be mothballed after three more flights. The clear winner from the
shuttles' retirement will be Russia. While the U.S. intends to leave the
transport of astronauts and equipment to the ISS up to the private
sector, there is no prospect of that in the foreseeable future--and the
shuttle fleet will retire later this year.
The United States' financial difficulties
have dented any realistic aspirations it had to return to the moon or
reach Mars. Many other nations are in a similar plight. However, if the
United States loses its own transport
to the ISS, the Russian spacecraft Soyuz will find itself with a
monopoly on taking astronauts to the space station. Moscow is cashing in: Although Russia previously charged 3
billion yen to carry an astronaut on the Soyuz, this figure was bumped
up to 5 billion yen in a deal it signed last year with the United States.
Once the leader in space development, the United States' space exploration
policies are now drifting aimlessly. This lack of certainty is shaking
up the strategies of other countries--Japan included. (4/7)
NASA Extends Contract with
Russian Space Agency (Source: NASA)
NASA has signed a $335 million modification to the current
International Space Station contract with the Russian Federal Space
Agency for crew transportation, rescue and related services in 2013 and
2014. The firm-fixed price modification covers comprehensive Soyuz
support, including all necessary training and preparation for launch,
crew rescue, and landing of a long-duration mission for six individual
station crew members. (4/6)
Editorial: Dawn of the
Commercial Space Age (Source: Roanoke Times)
Monday will mark the 49th anniversary of the first human to orbit Earth
in space. That man's name was Yuri Garagin. Today, he serves as an
international symbol of the human quest. He is feted annually with
Cosmonaut's Day and Yuri's Night globally. Since that day in 1961, more
than 500 human beings have trained and escaped the upper atmosphere,
crossing the so-called Karman Line to outer space. Men and women of
numerous nationalities have been to space on vehicles built by Russian,
American and Chinese governments. Hundreds more are destined to do
likewise.
On Thursday, President Barack Obama will articulate a new national
space policy, and chart a new course for NASA. The president's remarks
on space policy will not be easy, indeed they will be hard for many. At
the conclusion of 2010, no American-made spacecraft will be available
to lift our astronauts from Earth for years. And we may bear witness to
Chinese walking on the moon in the next 10 years.
Instead, this president will be making a significant bet on American
private enterprise and ingenuity to return Americans to low Earth orbit
and enable NASA astronauts and private citizens to go beyond. And, it
will come from companies like Virginia-based Orbital Sciences Corp.,
California-based SpaceX and others. Americans will reach for the stars
from Cape Canaveral and a little-known place called Wallops Island on
Virginia's Eastern Shore, beginning as soon as 2016. (4/11)
Supply and Demand for
Commercial Launch (Source: Space Review)
While many debate the commercial elements of NASA's new space
exploration plan, the overall commercial space industry is largely
focused on other issues. Jeff Foust reports on the latest round of
debate between launch services providers and satellite operators about
whether there is a sufficient supply of commercial launchers. Visit http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1600/1 to view the article. (4/5)
Obama's Plan to Commercialize Space Travel Expected to
Dominate Space Symposium (Source: Denver Post)
The National Space Symposium — the premier gathering of the
international space community — always draws a crowd. But this year,
the event is taking on a heightened importance as industry leaders look
for clarity on President Barack Obama's proposed NASA budget. A record
8,000 people are expected to attend the annual event this week in Colorado Springs.
Scheduled from Monday through Thursday at the Broadmoor hotel, the
registration-only symposium features panels, workshops, networking and
back-room dealings. Aerospace companies will pack the exhibit hall.
Major players in governmental, military and civilian space sectors are
slated to speak. Hot topics are cybersecurity and the cultivation of a
new generation of space leaders. Editor's Note: Government (local and
state), industry and university representatives from Florida are attending the event.
(4/11)
New NASA Work Assignments Would Spread The Wealth (Source:
Aviation Week)
Proposed work assignments under NASA’s turnabout Fiscal 2011 budget
request would spread the agency’s five-year, $6-billion total budget
increase — and the new jobs that may go with it — across the agency’s
10 field centers.
In announcing the field center work assignments, Administrator Charles
Bolden said April 8 the specific effects on public and private-sector
jobs remains to be seen, but he suggested that the $6 billion in
additional NASA spending over the current five-year budget runout will
translate into more space workers.
With Congress almost unanimously unhappy with the plan to drop the
current in-house approach to human spaceflight — after spending more
than $9 billion — and moving to a commercial space-transportation
industry, that could improve the new plan’s chances on Capitol Hill.
(4/9)
[Editor’s note: http://www.nasa.gov/news/budget/index.html]
NASA Assignments Favor States Hardest Hit by Loss of
Constellation (Source: Space News)
NASA Administrator Charles Bolden assigned new roles to field centers
in states likely to lose thousands of jobs if Congress approves the
agency’s plan to cancel the Constellation program, a 5-year-old effort
to replace the space shuttle with new rockets and spacecraft optimized
for the Moon.
But while the new program assignments could pump billions of dollars
into Florida and other states that
were counting on Constellation to stem post-shuttle job losses, Bolden
said it is too soon to know how many aerospace workers would find
employment under Obama’s plan. “We have more money, and that would say
that you have more jobs,” Bolden said. NASA has not conducted an
independent assessment of estimated job growth under Obama’s plan. “If
we use the standard measure for future jobs as money, then yes, there
should be more jobs.” (4/9)
Despite Constellation's Ending, Kennedy Will Thrive as Launch
Complex (Source: AIA)
Florida's Space Coast did not get an extension of the space shuttle
program or revival of the Constellation program that were hoped for
under President Barack Obama's budget, but the budget will nevertheless
bring in an additional $4 billion to the Kennedy Space Center through
2015. Under the plan, NASA will open an office at the space center to
oversee the development of commercial space taxis to fly astronauts to
and from the International Space Station, and the center would also be
transformed into a "21st Century Launch Complex." (4/9)
KSC to Get Commercial Office Under New NASA Plan (Source:
Orlando Sentinel)
NASA Administrator Charles Bolden is expected to assign control of the
agency’s commercial spacecraft management office to Kennedy Space
Center today when he announces a slate of new work assignments under
President Barack Obama’s new plans for the agency. The assignments are
critical to NASA employees and contractors, as the distribution of new
projects should go a long way in determining which NASA centers get
work in the aftermath of the space shuttle program, which will end this
year and take thousands of jobs with it.
KSC alone is expected to lose as many as 9,000 jobs, as its primary
role is preparing the shuttle and other NASA spacecraft for launch.
Under Obama’s plan, KSC has been pegged as the top commercial launch
site and also looks likely to get an unnamed test program, according to
sources close to the announcement. The new details come a week before
Obama is set to visit KSC for a space conference. At the summit, Obama
is expected to defend his new vision, which cancels NASA’s
Constellation moon program and relies on commercial rockets to ferry
astronauts to the International Space Station so that NASA engineers
can focus their efforts on developing futuristic spacecraft and
technologies. (4/8)
Thousands Rally in Central Florida To Save Space Jobs
(Source: CFNews 13)
Sunday was a big day in Brevard County for those who work in the space
program. Representatives from Washington, Tallahassee and the Space
Coast community joined thousands of Central Floridians for a Save Space
Rally. Leaders from Brevard County churches, businesses, unions and
nonprofit organizations are expected to join the rally, which comes as
the Space Coast’s two congressional representatives promised to
pressure President Barack Obama to hold up his campaign promise to not
give up on space exploration. “We here on the Space Coast need to know
what our mission is -- know what it is we’re trying to accomplish, know
what the vehicle is, the destination is, and what our job potential is
going to be,” Kosmas said. (4/11)
Multi-State Grassroots Advocacy Group Invites You to Washington
(Source: CSE)
Citizens for Space Exploration, a multi-state grassroots space advocacy
group, is organization its 19th annual trip to Washington, D.C. We
invite you to join this group of concerned citizens as we meet with
Members of Congress to inform and educate them about the importance of
a robust space exploration program and a fully funded NASA budget. This
is a self-funded trip, but assistance is available for coordinating
your participation. This may be the most important CSE trip ever! Visit
http://www.citizensforspaceexploration.org/dctrip.htm for information. (4/7)
How I Spent My Summer Vacation (Source: Space Review)
The pending retirement of the space shuttle will have an impact that
goes beyond just the agency and the shuttle workforce at the Kennedy
Space Center. Dwayne Day looks at how the end of the shuttle program
could affect the center as a tourist destination. Visit http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1599/1 to view the article. (4/5)
Houston Center Contractors May Face Work Gap Under NASA Budget
Plan (Source: AIA)
NASA contractors who stand to lose jobs if Congress approves President
Barack Obama's budget plan to eliminate NASA's Constellation program
may find new work with the agency, but they could be out of jobs for up
to a year while new plans are formulated, said Mike Coats, director of
the Johnson Space Center. Coats welcomed the proposed addition of a
five-year, $6 billion technology development program at the space
center, but he expressed concern about the 6,000 or so contractors in
positions in the Houston area who could be out of
work for a while. (4/9)
Lugo: NASA Glenn Would Stabilize, Expand Under Obama Budget
Proposal (Source: Cleveland Plain Dealer)
NASA Glenn Research Center would take greater control of its future and
potentially attract more business under new tasks proposed by President
Barack Obama, the center's acting director said Friday. The center
would take the lead on two programs projected to cost $2.1 billion over
the next five years, Ray Lugo said. The new tasks "play on our
strengths and reflect a level of confidence in NASA Glenn's ability to
perform," said Lugo, who oversees a
3,400-person work force of civil servants and contractors. (4/11)
Marshall Gets Four New Program Offices, Will Lead $3.1 Billion
Heavy-Lift Effort (Source: Huntsville Times)
Marshall Space Flight Center will get four new program offices in a
NASA reorganization. Marshall will oversee: a new program office to
develop next generation engines and propulsion technologies; an
Exploration Precursor Robotic Program; a Space Technology
Demonstrations office; and the Centennial Challenges Program: New
Program Office to manage $10 million in FY 2011 and $50 million over
five years for this innovative prize program. (4/11)
Air Force Wants Reusable
Rocket Ships
(Source: Network World)
The Air Force today said it would launch a program that would bring it
reusable rockets that could carry military payloads into space and
return to Earth. Known as the Reusable Booster System (RBS) Pathfinder,
the spacecraft would consist of an autonomous, reusable, rocket-powered
first stage with an expendable upper stage. The reusable first stage
would launch vertically and carry the expendable ship to a particular
point in orbit. The reusable portion would return to the launch base,
landing aircraft-style on a runway, the Air Force stated.
One of the most direct ways for the return flight to take place is
known as a rocket-back maneuver where upon delivery of its payload, the
rocket would immediately swing around or reverse direction and use its
main engine to fly directly back to the launch site, the Air Force
stated. The return to launch site maneuver is completed with an
unpowered reentry and gliding flight and landing. The Air Force said
the Pathfinder also has a number of other requirements, including:
low-manpower requirements; the use of Liquid Oxygen and Kerosene as
main propellants; and reusable, highly reliable systems with extensive
use of Integrated System Health Management to ensure system operations.
(4/7)
Doing a 180 - AFRL's Rocket-Back Pathfinder (Source:
Aviation Week)
Forget the personal jetpacks, the thing we've waited longest for is a
military spaceplane. The US Air Force is finally getting round to
testing the reusable, maneuverable orbital vehicle part, in the shape
of the Boeing X-37B. But what about the commensurate quick-turnaround
launch vehice? Well the Air Force Research Laboratory has just released
a pre-solicitation notice for its Reusable Booster System (RBS)
Pathfinder program. This is to be a subscale demonstrator for a
reusable booster that would launch vertically, release an expendable
upper-stage stack, and return to a horizontal landing on a runway at
the launch site. The full-size RBS is envisioned as replacing Atlas and
Delta EELVs some time after 2035.
The Air Force has been studying reusable boosters for a long time and
has looked at first stages that glide back to base or fly back under
jet or rocket power. AFRL has decided that the most promising concept
for RBS is "rocket-back" - carry extra propellant and use the main
rocket engines to reverse the unmanned booster's velocity then glide
back to a horizontal landing. The Pathfinder program is intended to
demonstrate the feasibility of the rocket-back maneuver. Compared with
"jet-back", studies show rocket-back offers lower weight, cost and
airframe heating, and a simpler design that can meet the RBS
turn-around requirement of 48 hours.
The approach requires the vehicle to fly at significantly higher angles
of attack as it pitches over to reverse its flightpath. Pathfinder is
envisaged as a four-phase, 48-month, $33 million program. Up to three
companies would be awarded Phase 1 study contracts totaling $4.5
million, after which one team would be selected to design the
demonstrator and conduct first a propulsion-system ground test then at
least two booster flights followed by three or more rocket-back tests.
(4/7)
Flyback Booster Program Plans Near-Term Tests, Contracts
(Source: Aviation Week)
A series of demonstrators is being planned by the Air Force to mature
technology for a Reusable Booster System (RBS), its chosen replacement
for the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) family beyond 2025.
The first of the demonstrators, the Air Force Research Laboratory’s RBS
Pathfinder, is planned to fly in 2013 to evaluate the “rocket-back”
maneuver that would enable the unmanned first-stage booster to return
to a runway landing at the launch site.
The plan calls for development of two versions of the RBS: one with a
single reusable first stage and cryogenic upper stage for medium-lift
missions; and one with two reusable boosters, cryogenic core stage and
upper stage for heavy-lift and growth missions. Initial operational
capability is planned for 2025, with the EELV to be phased out in 2030.
The RBS is expected to reduce launch costs by at least 50% at a nominal
flight rate of eight a year, he says. Engines would be used for 10
flights before replacement and the reusable airframe for 100 fights.
The concept's rocket-powered return maneuver requires extremely high
combinations of angle-of-attack and sideslip. An inability to do tests
in wind tunnels has led to the need to build a subscale flight
demonstrator. The Pathfinder would be at least 15 ft. long, launched on
a sounding rocket or from an aircraft on three test flights to
demonstrate different rocket-back maneuvers. Up to three $1.5 million
studies will be awarded, with one team to be selected for a $28.5
million contract to build the Pathfinder.
New Engine Technologies and Large-Scale Prototype Would Follow
Initial Flyback Tests (Source: Aviation Week)
The RBX, a “moderately large-scale” (50-60 ft.) demonstrator “highly
representative” of the operational reusable booster system, is planned
to follow the "Pathfinder" reusable booster tests in 2016-17, to raise
the technology readiness level and enable a decision to begin an RBS
acquisition program.
Both Pathfinder and RBX will use existing rocket engines while a
parallel program, Hydrocarbon Boost, develops and demonstrates
technology for a liquid-oxygen/kerosene engine to power the operational
RBS. NASA and the Air Force have begun talks on jointly developing a
large hydrocarbon rocket engine. The RBS is expected to reduce launch
costs by at least 50% at a nominal flight rate of eight a year, he
says. Engines would be used for 10 flights before replacement and the
reusable airframe for 100 fights. (4/11)
Rocketplane Global Plans
Jacksonville Flights by 2013 (Source: Parabolic Arc)
Rocketplane Global expects to begin flying space tourists on suborbital
rides out of Cecil Field in Jacksonville by 2013. Rocketplane has
signed a letter of intent with the Jacksonville Aviation Authority to
become the first commercial space operator to use the former Naval air
base turned spaceport. Rocketplane's Chuck Lauer said that that
Rocketplane would fund development of its six-person spaceplane as part
of a $300 million project that would also create a Spaceport Visitor’s
Center at the Jacksonville site. The center would
include full motion 3D/HD suborbital flight simulators that would allow
visitors to experience a 4-minute version of the 45-minute spaceflight
that well-heeled passengers will fly aboard Rocketplane’s suborbital
vehicle. (4/11)
Bigelow Aerospace Eyes Wallops for Rocket Launches
(Source: Daily Press)
Michael Gold, an attorney who represents Bigelow Aerospace, said the
Nevada-based company will work at Wallops provided the nation commits
to the commercial spaceflight agenda outlined by President Obama. "We
will be here," Gold told a group of about 50 people recently after a
tour of Wallops, where NASA has launched rockets from since 1945.
The company's success will be determined by finding a reusable vehicle
to send humans into space, Gold said. Key to that is NASA's Commercial
Crew Development (CCD), a program created to stimulate the development
of privately operated space vehicles. NASA awarded CCD contracts to
several companies, including Boeing, which subcontracted with Bigelow
and is developing a space capsule called Orion Lite. Bigelow hopes the
partnership will lead to regular launches its commercial space station.
Gold specifically mentioned the Atlas-5 as a possible launch vehicle.
The Atlas launches from Cape Canaveral, but could shift to
Wallops, Gold said. Such a move could create hundreds of high-paying
jobs on the Eastern Shore. "The economic impact of
human spaceflight cannot be underestimated," Gold said. (4/10)
Questions Raised About Spaceport Firm's New Mexico Ties
(Source: New York Times)
Summit West, the company that won a $32.5 million contract for
construction at Spaceport America received credit for being a New
Mexico business, but questions have come up over how much of a presence
the firm maintains. Summit West appears to have two offices, and the
one in Albuquerque contained nothing but an
unplugged telephone this week. The company lists its corporate
headquarters in Phoenix. Its Web site says it has
completed only one project in New Mexico and has another in
progress.
Summit West won the $32.5 million contract to build Spaceport America's terminal-hangar
facility, aided by an in-state preference credit. In a November news
release announcing the contract, the New Mexico Spaceport Authority
called "Summit West of Albuquerque, New Mexico," a company with "a
strong history of construction in New Mexico and throughout the
Southwest." When visited by news media, the New Mexico office door was closed,
lights were off, blinds were drawn, and a building receptionist told
the newspaper no one was there. Building owner Charles Walker said
Summit West has been renting space for less than a year. He said he's
never seen anyone inside the offices.
Toni Balzano, deputy cabinet secretary for the Economic Development
Department, suggested Summit West moved its offices to trailers at
Spaceport America after getting the
contract and eventually will return to Albuquerque. She said Summit West was
"given in-state preference" by the state Purchasing Office during the
contract bid process -- a 5 percent credit for state companies to make
them competitive with outside bidders. (4/7)
Long Island Astronaut Wants NASA Shuttle at Intrepid
Sea-Air-Space Museum (Source: NY Daily News)
A Long Island astronaut wants back on a space shuttle - but as a
tourist this time. Mike Massimino, 47, said he hopes the Intrepid
Sea-Air-Space Museum succeeds in its effort to land a decommissioned
shuttle. "I would love to see one there," Mike Massimino, 47. "I think
that would be a great place for it." The museum is hoping to score one
of three orbiters - Endeavour, Atlantis or Discovery - after NASA shuts
down the space shuttle program next year. NASA officials have said they
want the shuttles to land where the most people will be able to see
them. Intrepid officials said they get 1 million visitors a year - and
expect even more if they get a shuttle. (4/8)
Florida Space Incentives
Passed in State Senate (Source: Space Florida)
Space industry items in a "Jobs for Florida" bill (SB-1752) include $10
million for project financing and $3 million for business development,
which will aid the State’s ability – through Space Florida – to attract
and expand aerospace businesses. The aerospace portion of this bill is
specifically designed to create new jobs at a time when NASA’s Space
Shuttle retirement is expected to result in significant job losses,
estimated at a total of 23,000 people, both direct and indirect.
Also included in the “Jobs for Florida” legislation is $3.2
million to be used for workforce retraining and ultimate retention of
displaced, highly skilled Shuttle workers. The bill's sponsors include
Sen. Don Gaetz, Sen. Mike Haridopolos, and Sen. Thad Altman. (4/5)
NextGen Conference Stresses Cooperation, Commitment
(Source: AIA)
Murky policies and competing interests are bigger impediments than
technology when it comes to implementing the NextGen air traffic
control system, according to stakeholders and regulators. Data sharing,
equipage and training are among the many issues yet to be worked out,
and as a result the National Airspace System "isn't as far advanced as
it could be or should be," FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt told
attendees at a Washington conference on Tuesday.
Babbitt said consensus was key, and that all players should "commit to
delivering capabilities on a set schedule and at specific locations."
(4/7)
10 Space Jobs From the Near Future (Source: WIRED)
So what will a job market for the aspiring space junkie look like in 20
to 30 years? For a long time, the single goal for kids that were
obsessed with spaceflight was to become an astronaut. Now, it looks
like that job title will have some competition. Here are 10
non-scientist jobs I believe youngsters should start to prepare for.
Click here to view the article. (4/7)
Germany, Puerto Rico Triumph in Marshall's 'Great Moonbuggy
Race' (Source: The Local)
"Team Germany" from Leipzig has won the NASA "Great Moonbuggy Race,"
where students design, build and race vehicles that tackle challenges
faced by engineers of the lunar rover. The four-person German team won
first prize in the high-school division after a decisive race in Huntsville.
A team from the University of Puerto Rico in Humacao won the first
prize in the university division. The teams beat out more than 70 other
groups from 18 US states and Puerto Rico as well as from Canada, India and Romania. "The Great Moonbuggy
Race" recalls the challenges that engineers faced in the late 1960s,
when they were designing the original Apollo-era lunar rover, which
explored the surface of the moon in the early 1970s. (4/11)
US Scientist Who Tried to Spy for Israel: I Won’t End Up Like
Pollard (Source: y net)
Former NASA scientist Dr. Stewart Nozette, who was charged with trying
to pass classified information to a man he thought was an Israeli
Intelligence officer, told an undercover FBI agent that he does not
want to "end up like Pollard." Nozette, 53, of Chevy Chase, Maryland, is facing a new charge
of attempted espionage. According to a Fox report, the US Attorney's
Office in the District has filed a superseding indictment claiming he
tried to pass classified information about the Navy to a man he thought
was an Israeli Intelligence officer. Nozette thought he was being
recruited by the Mossad, the Israeli spy agency. (4/7)
Nuclear Arms Treaty Could Deal a Blow to Missile-Based
Economies (Source: AIA)
The economies of towns and cities in American's nuclear heartland could
take a major hit from the proposed treaty between the U.S. and Russia to reduce nuclear
weapons. Cities in Montana, North Dakota and Wyoming could face hardships if
the intercontinental ballistic missiles at local bases are put out of
commission, and business leaders are lobbying Congress to keep the
silos at full strength. (4/5)
Russia: Nuclear Weapons in Space will Undermine Global
Stability (Source: Interfax)
The prospect of deploying arms in outer space and making
conventionally-armed strategic offensive weapons could undermine global
strategic stability, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said. "If
we are to seriously discuss what practical steps must be taken to
advance toward a world without nuclear weapons, we must pay attention
to a number of factors which could potentially upset global strategic
stability," Lavrov said. "This involves in the first place the prospect
of deploying weapons in outer space. The second factor that could
seriously destabilize the global situation is conventionally-armed
strategic offensive weapons," he said. (4/6)
Russia Surges Ahead as U.S. Pulls Back from Space Exploration
(Source: AIA)
As the U.S. pulls back on its space exploration program, the country is
relying more on Russia's federal space program for assistance. While
President Barack Obama has proposed major cutbacks for NASA, the
Russian government has increased spending on its space exploration
program, and one Russian expert said he expected the U.S. to be dependent on Russia to transport astronauts
to space until at least 2020. An American astronaut was among Soyuz
crew members that included two Russians and launched from Kazakhstan this week. (4/6)
Russia to Launch 7 New
Navigation Satellites in 2010 (Source: AFP)
Russia is to launch seven new
satellites this year for Moscow's GLONASS navigation
system, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said Tuesday. "By the end
of the year, we plan on launching seven new satellites" which will
bring the number operational to 27 or 28, Putin was quoted by Russian
news agencies as saying. "GLONASS will cover the whole planet," he
added. Russia is to spend 1.7 billion
rubles (42.5 million euros, 58 million dollars) developing the system
next year compared to 2.0 billion rubles this year and 2.5 billion
rubles in 2009, he said. (4/6)
Russia Successfully Launches ESA’s CryoSat-2 Ice Satellite (Source: ESA)
Europe's first mission dedicated
to studying the Earth’s ice was launched today from Kazakhstan. From its polar orbit,
CryoSat-2 will send back data leading to new insights into how ice is
responding to climate change and the role it plays in our 'Earth
system'. The CryoSat-2 satellite was launched on a Dnepr rocket
provided by the Kosmotras from the Baikonur spaceport in Kazakhstan. The signal confirming
that it had separated from the launcher came 17 minutes later from the
Malindi ground station in Kenya. (4/8)
Eurockot to Launch Two ESA Earth Observation Missions (Source: ESA)
ESA has awarded a contract to
Eurockot for the launch of two of its Earth observation missions. The
first will be the next Earth Explorer: Swarm, a constellation of three
satellites to study Earth's magnetic field. The contract covers the
launch of ESA's Swarm magnetic-field
mission and a 'ticket' for one other mission, yet to be decided. Both
will take place from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in northern Russia using a Rockot launcher.
With last week's successful launch of the CryoSat-2 Earth Explorer,
this new contract highlights ESA's commitment to learning
more about Earth from the vantage point of space. (4/9)
Russia to Launch CryoSat-2 European Probe on Apr. 8
(Source: RIA Novosti)
The launch of the European Space Agency's CryoSat-2 Earth Explorer
satellite on a Russian Rokot carrier rocket is scheduled for April 8.
CryoSat-2 will monitor the effects of global warming on polar glaciers.
The 140 million euro CryoSat-1, was built by the EADS Astrium for the
European Space Agency. It went missing in October 2005 after the
satellite's Russian Rokot booster malfunctioned just a few minutes
after blasting clear of the Plesetsk space center in northwest Russia. It later crashed into
the Arctic
Ocean. (4/5)
Soyuz Mobile Gantry Takes Shape At Kourou (Source: Space
Daily)
The final major infrastructure element for Soyuz' new launch site
in French Guiana is taking shape as the large mobile service gantry is
assembled for this medium-lift vehicle at the Spaceport. Structural
framework for the gantry initially was built up to a height of 27
meters, marking the first assembly phase of this mobile structure,
which is now being increased up to 45 meters. The gantry then will
receive its external metallic covering, and also be outfitted with the
internal movable work platforms that provide access to Soyuz at various
levels, along with support equipment. (4/5)
Ariane Launch Scrubbed (Source: SpaceToday.net)
The launch of two European satellites on an Ariane 5 was postponed
again Friday night because of a vehicle pressurization problem. The
Ariane 5 ECA was scheduled to launch
Friday evening from Kourou, French Guiana, and place the ASTRA 3B and
COMSAT Bw-2 communications satellites into orbit, but the countdown was
stopped less than a minute before the launch time. Arianespace said in
a statement that the launch was postponed because of an anomaly in the
launch vehicle's pressurization system, but provided no additional
details. No new launch date has been announced. The launch had been
scheduled for late March but was postponed several hours before launch
because of an unidentified vehicle anomaly. (4/10)
Brazil to Develop Rocket by 2014 (Source: RIA Novosti)
Brazil plans to develop its own carrier rocket for conveying small
satellites into orbit by 2014, the Brazilian Space Agency (AEB) said on
Monday. The agency said the rocket is being built by its main satellite
launch vehicle project, VLS. The project was initially frozen in 2003
after an explosion destroyed a rocket on the pad at the Alcantara Launch Center in northern Brazil, killing 21 people.
The test launch of the repaired VLS-1 rocket is scheduled for 2012 and
the first launch of the fully loaded rocket is due in 2013, the agency
said in a statement. Earlier reports said Russia may take part in the
project. In 2009, a delegation from the Brazilian Institute of
Aeronautics and Space (IAE) visited the Makeev State Rocket Center in Miass, near the city
of Chelyabinsk in the Russian Urals.
(4/5)
Japan's Manned Space Program at
Crossroad
(Source: Daily Yomiuri)
Seven astronauts. Twelve missions. But is this the end of the line?
Astronaut Naoko Yamazaki on Monday became the seventh and last Japanese
to blast off into space onboard a U.S. space shuttle. But with
the shuttle fleet to be retired this year, Japan's manned space program
has come to a crossroads.
Japan has been dependent on the
United States for its space
development. This nation has picked up technologies needed for manned
space flights, which were previously dominated by the United States and Russia, and has sent an
experiment module called Kibo that is now at the International Space
Station and the H-II Transfer Vehicle (HTV), an unmanned cargo
spacecraft, into space onboard its own rockets.
Getting to this stage was not easy, though. "At first, we were treated
like outsiders," recalled Yoshiyuki Hasegawa, a senior official of the
Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). "[The United States] didn't give us any
details about space flight operations. But through persistent
negotiations, we gradually persuaded them to share more and more
information with us." Hasegawa said U.S. expertise on risk
management theory and ensuring the safety of space flights were
particularly useful to Japan. (4/6)
Japan Astronaut Gets Designer Space Clothes (Source:
France24)
The latest creation by Japanese fashion designer Tae Ashida is truly
out of this world -- an outfit twinning a blue cardigan and shorts made
for astronaut Naoko Yamazaki. The US space shuttle Discovery
blasted off on Monday with Yamazaki and two other female crew on board,
bound for the International Space Station (ISS) on a historic mission
that put more women in orbit than ever before. Ahead of her departure,
Yamazaki, 39, asked Ashida, daughter of fashion guru Jun Ashida, to
design her work clothes for the 13-day space mission and she came up
with a slim knit cardigan in light blue with navy blue shorts. (4/7)
India: China's Anti-Satellite Program
a Threat to Global Space Assets (Source: PTI)
India today slammed China's anti-Satellite (ASAT)
program, terming it a threat to global space assets. In 2007, Beijing successfully tested an
anti-satellite (ASAT) vehicle, destroying an inactive weather
satellite. "The threat is not only for us, but for the entire world
because it (China's 2007 test) has created
space debris". One can only try to avoid debris hitting satellites, he
said, adding there is a talk of "scavenging" of debris from orbit. But
this concept needs to evolve and "one has to see how one is going to do
that," he added. (4/7)
First Fully Indian Made GSLV Launch Planned for April 15
(Source: The Hindu)
Almost 18 years into development, the first fully Indian-made GSLV
satellite launcher with the critical indigenous cryogenic upper stage
stands ready at its launch pad and will be flown on April 15 from the
Sriharikota spaceport. Codenamed GSLV-D3, the three-stage rocket will
put in orbit the 2.2-tonne advanced communication and navigation
satellite, the GSAT-4. So far since 2001, five GSLV launches have taken
off, with one failure. “This mission is more important than other
launchers because we are testing the indigenous cryogenic stage in
flight. This is a complex technology that uses liquid propellants,” Dr
Radhakrishnan told a news conference. ISRO will henceforth use its own
cryo upper stage in the GSLV. Over the last decade, it has used the
heavy-lift higher-orbit launcher supplied by Russia in the seven upper
stages. (4/7)
India to Launch Five Satellites
in May
(Source: Live Mint)
India’s space agency will
launch in May five satellites, including an 120-kg remote sensing
satellite from Algeria, on a single rocket. The
polar satellite launch vehicle or PSLV will carry a homegrown remote
sensing satellite Cartosat-2B, which can snap images of less than a
meter, three educational satellites—two from Canada and one built by
engineering college students in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. (4/7)
India Aims for the Skies,
Targets Space Tourism (Source: Economic Times)
India is seriously taking up
the challenge of pursuing space tourism in a big way. Newly-appointed
chief of the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), Dr K
Radhakrishnan says the space agency is exploring new strategies and
technologies for human space flight programs, low-cost access to space
tourism and the colonization of Mars and the Moon.
As of 2009, space tourism opportunities have been limited and
expensive, with the Russian Space Agency providing this facility. The
price for a flight brokered by Space Adventures to the International
Space Station aboard a Soyuz spacecraft is $20-35 million. Space
tourists usually sign contracts with third parties to conduct certain
research while in orbit. This helps minimize their own expenses. "Space
tourism is something where India can play a niche role
with its affordable solutions. However, this will take some time," says
Ajey Lele. But the fact that this is an achievable challenge was
evident when he said: "India’s Chandrayaan program was
less costly than the private jet gifted by Mukesh Ambani to his wife."
(4/7)
US Concerned Over Indian Satellite Communication Regulations
(Source: Space Daily)
The United States has expressed concern over Indian rules over the
provision of satellite capacity saying the system lacks transparency.
"A lack of transparency in the rules governing the provision of
satellite capacity in these countries ( China and India ) is also a concern", US
trade representative Ron Kirk said.
He added China and India both generally require
that foreign satellite capacity be sold through an
intermediary-ChinaDBSat or the Indian Space Research Organisation
(ISRO), respectively. These comments were made by Kirk in his report
where he said experts have expressed concern that India and Mexico require mobile satellite
operators to install local gateways as a condition for providing
satellite services into their territories. (4/6)
Yahsat Secures First-Ever Shariah Compliant Space Insurance
(Source: Zawya)
Yahsat has successfully secured the first ever Shariah compliant space
insurance policy. The insurance solution, which was specifically
developed to meet Yahsat’s needs, covers the launch and in-orbit
operations of Y1A and Y1B, the Yahsat satellites scheduled to be
launched in 2011. Methaq Takaful Insurance Company and ElseCo Company,
both companies based in the UAE, provided the insurance coverage.
Willis Inspace designed the takaful insurance coverage. The uniquely
crafted insurance solution was a seamless fit with the innovative
technology, deep regional insights and fresh approach that Yahsat will
bring to the markets and the customers that it will serve. "Insurance
protection is an integral part of our satellite program. With firm
roots in the region, we are proud to be the first organization to use a
new Shariah-compliant insurance solution for space programs. This
augurs well in the development of the Takaful insurance market as well
as make available an alternative market for space insurance products,"
said Yahsat's CEO. (4/7)
New Space Record: 4 Women in Orbit at the Same Time
(Source: Space.com)
Four women with the right stuff have sailed into the record books as
the most female astronauts ever to fly in space at the same time.
Discovery launched seven astronauts on Monday, three of them are women.
They include former high school teacher Dorothy "Dottie"
Metcalf-Lindenburger, robotic arm expert Stephanie Wilson and Naoko
Yamazaki, the second Japanese woman ever to reach space. Rounding out
the female space quartet is chemist-turned-astronaut Tracy Caldwell
Dyson, who is living on the Space Station after arriving at the
orbiting laboratory on Sunday. (4/5)
Debt-Ridden Satmex Puts $2M Down on New Satellite (Source:
Space News)
Satellite fleet operator Satmex of Mexico has paid $2 million to
manufacturer Space Systems/Loral to begin work on a Satmex 8 satellite
to replace Satmex 5, whose fuel will run out in 31 months. But the
company has no authorization from its creditors to sign a full
construction contract, Satmex announced April 1. In a filing with the
U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Satmex said its $2
million Authorization to Proceed agreement with Loral expires in June
if it is not followed up by a full-scale Satmex 8 contract. (4/5)
NOAA, Taiwan Developing
Plan for Weather Satellite Program (Source: Space News)
The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and
Taiwan have developed initial requirements for a collaborative weather
satellite program, and will spend the rest of the year putting together
an acquisition strategy with an eye toward launching the satellites
starting in 2014, U.S. government officials said.
The satellites will use a relatively new method for obtaining
atmospheric data called GPS radio occultation, which
has been used in operational weather forecasting since a demonstration
constellation was launched in 2006. That system, called the
Constellation Observing System for Meteorology, Ionosphere and Climate
(COSMIC), also was a joint U.S-Taiwanese program. (4/9)
Spacecraft Stats and
Insights
(Source: Space Review)
With all the attention that high-profile NASA missions get, it's easy
to forget that there is far more space activity elsewhere in the space
arena. Claude Lafleur reviews some basic statistics about spacecraft
and launch activity to provide insights on the present and future of
spaceflight. Visit http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1598/1 to view the article. (4/5)
Intelsat Loses Contact with Galaxy 15 Satellite (Source:
Space News)
Intelsat’s five-year-old Galaxy 15 satellite stopped responding to
commands early April 5, prompting the company to begin moving an
on-orbit spare to the balky satellite’s 133 degrees west longitude
orbital slot to avoid an interruption in service, Intelsat of
Washington and Luxembourg announced April 8. (4/8)
The End of NPOESS (Source: Space Review)
NASA, NOAA, and the Defense Department are all grappling with the
decision by the White House to end the troubled NPOESS weather
satellite program. Taylor Dinerman examines what the aftermath of
NPOESS means for both the agencies that need the data it would have
provided as well as the prospects for interagency cooperation. Visit http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1601/1 to view the article. (4/5)
Boeing Hands Over GOES-P Satellite For Final Testing
(Source: Space Daily)
Boeing has announced that it transferred control of the third
Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES-P) to NASA and
the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) on March 24
to begin on-orbit verification testing. GOES-P - which was officially
renamed GOES-15 after reaching geosynchronous orbit - will serve as an
on-orbit spare to the current GOES constellation and support enhanced
Earth observation and weather monitoring for more than 50 percent of
the planet, including the continental United States. (4/7)
First Weather Sat Launched 20 Years Ago - Lockheed Involved
From the Beginning (Source: CSA)
TIROS-1-the first Television and Infrared Observation Satellite-and its
successors revolutionized weather observation and forecasting. Lockheed
Martin (NYSE: LMT) and its heritage
companies built every one of the TIROS series of spacecraft, from
TIROS-1- launched on April 1, 1960- through NOAA-N Prime, launched on
February 6, 2009. Click here for information. (4/10)
NRO Taps Boeing for Next
Batch of Cubesats (Source: Space News)
The U.S. National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) in February contracted
with Boeing Phantom Works for as many as 50 triple-unit cubesats, each
about the size of a can of tennis balls, for use in technology
demonstrations, a government official said. The inexpensive satellite
platforms will be used for the follow-on to an NRO research program
called Colony, which is scheduled to make its first launch this year,
Air Force Maj. David "Dutch" Shultz, director of the NRO’s Colony
Program Office, said. (4/8)
EADS Plans U.S. Expansion, Regardless of
Tanker Decision (Source: AIA)
Whether or not it decides to bid on the U.S. aerial refueling
contract, EADS plans to expand in the U.S., according to an official
with the company. EADS has various opportunities in the U.S., including work in
helicopters, space, security and potential acquisitions, the official
said. (4/8)
Virginia Barnes Named President and CEO of United Space Alliance (Source: Biloxi Sun
Herald)
Veteran Boeing executive Virginia A. "Ginger" Barnes has been named to
replace Richard O. Covey as President and Chief Executive Officer of
United Space Alliance (USA). Barnes, who is the first woman to serve as
USA's President and CEO, joins USA from The Boeing Company
where she has worked on a variety of programs, a diverse set of
customers and in a vast number of roles. (4/6)
Astronaut Buzz Aldrin Leaves ‘Dancing With the Stars’
(Source: WKRG)
Buzz Aldrin walked on the moon, but he won't be spending any more time
on the dance floor. The 80-year-old astronaut was eliminated Tuesday
from "Dancing With the Stars." Aldrin and his professional partner,
Ashly Costa, consistently finished in last place during the ABC television show's three
weeks of competition. He earned just 13 points out of 30 for his waltz
on Monday's episode. (4/7)
Spacesuit Unveiled for Hi-Altitude Freefall Record Attempt
(Source: EAA.org)
The Red Bull Stratos science team has revealed the pressure helmet, and
suit that will serve as Felix Baumgartner’s sole life-support system
when he steps off his capsule at 120,000 feet to attempt a
record-breaking freefall from the edge of space. The suit is custom
made by The David Clark company which has been making suits since 1941
including launch entry suits for Space Shuttle astronauts and the
iconic suit that United States Air Force Colonel (Ret.) Joe Kittinger
wore on his historic Excelsior III jump in 1960. Click here for the article and
video. (4/1)
Mystery Object Defies Astronomical Classification (Source:
WIRED)
A mysterious object discovered near a brown dwarf doesn’t fit into any
known astronomical category. The newly discovered mystery companion
forms a binary system with the brown dwarf, located 460 light-years
away in the Taurus star-forming system. The object is too light to be
another brown dwarf, but it’s too young to have formed by accretion,
the way a typical planet does. “Although this small companion appears
to have a mass that is comparable to the mass of planets around stars,
we don’t think it formed like a planet,” said astronomer Kevin Luhman
of Penn State University, co-author of the study
April 5 in The Astrophysical Journal. “This seems to indicate that
there are two different ways for nature to make small companions.”
Luhman’s team made the discovery with the Hubble Space Telescope and
the Gemini Observatory. (4/8)
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California Aerospace Events Calendar
SME 2010
MicroManufacturing Conference/Exhibition in Arizona on Apr. 14-15
The Society of
Manufacturing Engineers is sponsoring the 2010 MicroManufacturing and
NanoManufacturing Conferences & Exhibits on April 14-15 in Mesa, Arizona. Visit
http://www.regonline.com/Checkin.asp?EventId=777709
for information.
California Participation in Hannover Messe on Apr. 19-23
California's Governor Arnold
Schwarzenegger has announced a push to encourage California innovation and technology
businesses to attend Hannover Messe's April
19-23, 2010 CeBIT event in Hannover, Germany. CSA joins with the
Governor in encouraging California's space enterprise
community to showcase unique technologies that can affect green
industry sectors. Click here for more on the
governor's support, and Visit http://www.hannovermesse.de/homepage_e
Composites Manufacturing
2010 Conference in San Diego, Apr. 20-22
The Composites
Manufacturing 2010 conference is designed to provide cutting-edge
knowledge on composite applications, processes and best practices. This
three-day program connects manufacturing engineers and management from
the world's dominating industries aerospace, medical (surgical
devices), wind energy, marine and consumer (recreational) products. The
technical conference is complemented with exhibits, facility tours,
tutorials and networking functions. Visit http://www.sme.org/composites
TRITECH SBDC Presents
Catch The Wave in Riverside, Apr. 21
Ride the Momentum - Don't
Get Caught in the Impact Zone - Position your Company for Rapid Growth!
Held at the Mission Inn, Riverside. Personally meet Angels,
Venture Capitalists, and Private & Public Equity Investors. Learn from a panel of seasoned executives how to
overcome all odds and catch the next wave to higher levels of growth
and profitability with innovative solutions. Learn the do's and don'ts
of presenting to investors by watching the investment decision in
action. Visit www.tritechsbdc.com/events/wave or call Sean Snider at 951-571-6480 for information and
registration.
7th Annual CubeSat
Workshop Planned in Central California on Apr. 21 - 23
This event brings together
over 100 CubeSat developers from around the country and world to
collaborate and share their experiences developing CubeSats. For more
information about CubeSat's and this year’s event visit
www.cubesat.org. Interested in sponsorship? Please send an email to mailto:cubesat.workshop@xxxxxxxxx?subject=CubeSat
Workshop
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
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, 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.
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!
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Last Week’s DOD Contract
Awards in California
CACI, Inc., Federal, Chantilly,
Va., was awarded on April 7 an $8,788,911 firm-fixed-price contract. The contractor will provide simulation-supported
battle command staff training exercises for pre- and post-mobilizing
active and reserve component combat, combat support, and combat
services support brigade and battalion equivalents, headquarters. Work is to be performed in Fort Dix, N.J. (20
percent); Dublin, Calif. (20 percent); Birmingham, Ala. (2-
percent); Arlington Heights, Ill. (20 percent); and Houston, Texas (20
percent), with an estimated completion date of Jan. 1, 2011. One
bid was solicited with one bid received. Mission
& Installation Contracting Command, MICC Center, Fort Bragg, N.C.,
is the contracting activity.
Northrop Grumman Space and
Mission Systems, Network Communication
Systems, San Diego, Calif., is being awarded a $28,391,903
cost-plus-incentive-fee, cost-plus-award-fee, cost only, and
firm-fixed-price modification to previously awarded contract
(N00024-09-C-6317) to exercise options for all material and services to
support the system development and demonstration phase through critical
design review for the three capabilities (dismounted, mounted, and
fixed site) of the Joint Counter Radio-Controlled Improvised Explosive
Device Electronic Warfare (JCREW) 3.3 system of systems 71°C ambient
temperature. The JCREW system will provide combat troops protection for
foot soldiers, vehicles, and permanent structures, against
radio-controlled improvised explosive devices. Traditionally, the
Department of Defense has procured different individual systems to
support each of these three capabilities with a focus on operations in
both Iraq and Afghanistan. The JCREW 3.3 is the first generation system
that will develop a common open architecture across all three
capabilities and provide protection for worldwide military operations.
Work will be performed at various Northrop Grumman Space and Mission
Systems locations, as follows: San Diego, Calif. (84 percent),
Sierra Vista, Ariz. (14 percent), and Killeen, Texas (2 percent), and
is expected to be complete by October 2010. Contract funds will not
expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems
Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity.
BAE Systems National
Security Solutions, Inc., San Diego, Calif., was awarded on March 31
a $23,405,241 cost-plus-award-fee contract. This
contract is for the baseline scope of efforts including application of
capabilities-based acquisition and disciplined program management,
systems engineering, software engineering, hardware engineering,
systems integration and testing, and other processes, practices, and
resources. Work is to be performed in
Newington, Va., with an estimated completion date of Oct. 31, 2012. Bids
were solicited on the World Wide Web with three bids received. National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, Reston,
Va., is the contracting activity.
The Boeing Co., Lanham, Md., is being
awarded a $7,148,440 firm-fixed-price order via the General Services
Administration schedule for the procurement of 929 Combat Survivor
Evader Locator radios (P/N 4866112101), including supporting equipment
for the Navy. Work will be performed in Palmdale, Calif., and
is expected to be completed in March 2011. Contract funds will not
expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not
competitively procured pursuant to DFAR 206.302-1(a))(1)(i). The Naval
Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity.
Raytheon Space and
Airborne Systems., El Segundo, Calif., is being awarded a
$5,792,324 cost-plus-fixed-fee delivery order against a previously
issued Basic Order Agreement (N00019-05-G-0008) for the procurement of
two AN/APG-79 active, electronically scanned array test radars to
support the F/A-18 and EA-18G programs. Work will be performed in
Forest, Miss. (45 percent); El Segundo, Calif. (35 percent);
Andover, Mass. (15 percent); and Dallas, Texas (5 percent), and is
expected to be completed in November 2011. Contract funds will not
expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems
Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity.
The Boeing Co., Seattle, Wash., is
being awarded a sole-source cost-plus-award-fee modification for
$32,713,529. Under this contract, Boeing will continue post flight
experiment Laser - 01 work with additional missile engagement scenarios
and flight testing to include all required support. The work will be
performed in Seattle, Wash., and at three California locations:
Edwards Air Force Base, Sunnyvale, and Redondo Beach. The
performance period is through May 2010. Fiscal 2010 research,
development, test, and evaluation funds will be used for this effort.
The Missile Defense Agency is the contracting activity.
MAR Inc.*, Rockville, Md., is
being awarded a maximum amount $30,000,000 cost-plus-fixed-fee,
indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract in support of the
Naval Facilities Engineering Service Center, Port Hueneme, for the
operation, maintenance, and repair of the M/V Independence, including
providing research, development, testing, and evaluation of undersea
surveillance systems, load handling systems, acoustic array systems,
cable system components, cable and system survivability studies,
installation methods, test vessel support, and training range
establishment and maintenance. Work will be performed in Port
Hueneme, Calif. The term of the contract is not to exceed 60
months, with an expected completion date of April 2015. Contract funds
will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The contract was
competitively procured as a 100 percent small business 8(a) set-aside
via the Navy Electronic Commerce Online Web site, with one proposal
received. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Specialty Center
Acquisitions, Port Hueneme, Calif., is the contracting activity.
Raytheon Co., Integrated
Defense Systems, San Diego, Calif., is being awarded a
$14,222,122 modification to previously awarded firm-fixed-price
contract (N00024-09-C-5100) for the production of five fiscal 2010 ship
self defense systems (SSDS) MK2 open architecture computing environment
kits. The kits include cabinets, processors, converters, network
devices, and interface units. The equipment sets consolidate the
computing and interface requirements for the SSDS ship class variants.
The fiscal 2010 kits will be installed at the Naval Air Systems Command
land-based test site and on CVN 75, CVN 78, LPD 26, and LHA 7. Work
will be performed in San Diego, Calif. (50 percent), and
Portsmouth, R.I. (50 percent), and is expected to be completed by
January 2012. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current
fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command in Washington, D.C., is the
contracting activity.
General Dynamics, National
Steel and Shipbuilding Co., San Diego, Calif., is being awarded a
$10,000,000 modification to previously awarded contract
(N00024-09-C-2229) for System Design Part 2 efforts associated with the
Mobile Landing Platform program. Work will be performed in San
Diego, Calif. (58.2 percent); Beloit, Wis. (7.3 percent); Busan,
South Korea (5.7 percent); Pittsburgh, Pa. (5.6 percent); Houston,
Texas (5.0 percent); Annapolis, Md. (4.0 percent);
Norfolk, Va. (2.0 percent); Belle Chasse, La. (0.7 percent); Mobile,
Ala. (0.5
percent); New York, N.Y. (0.4 percent); Deerfield Beach, Fla. (0.2
percent); Georgetown, S.C.(0.2 percent); Houma, La. (0.2 percent); Clovis,
Calif. (0.1 percent); New Orleans, La. (0.1 percent); Rochester,
N.Y. (0.1 percent); Stevensville, Md. (0.1 percent); Ogden, Utah (0.1
percent); Old Saybrook, Conn. (0.1 percent); Pensacola, Fla. (0.1
percent); and other various locations. Work is expected to be completed
by August 2010. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the
current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command in Washington, D.C.,
is the contracting activity.
AeroVironment., Simi
Valley, Calif., was awarded on March 30
a $6,781,162 firm-fixed-price contract. This
effort exercises a priced option for 51 Marine Corps digital data link
systems; 51 initial spares packages; and contractor logistics support. Work is to be performed in Simi Valley, Calif.,
with an estimated completion date of March 29, 2011. One
bid was solicited with one bid received. U.S.
Army Contracting Command/CCAM-AR-A, Redstone Arsenal, Ala., is the
contracting activity.
EDO Corp., Lancaster, Calif., was awarded a
$8,520,662 contract which will provide for standard high-power radar
signal simulators (AN/PLM-4), 85 production units (AN/PLM-4) with
millimeter wave option, and 6 production units. Two percent of this
effort will support Foreign Military Sales efforts to Morocco. 542 CBSG/PKT, Robins Air Force Base, Ga., is the
contracting activity.
VSE Corp., Alexandria, Va., is
being awarded a $42,510,858 cost-plus-fixed-fee,
indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract (N00174-10-D-0011) for
decontamination and demolition support services for the industrial
revitalization program. The government requires analytical, technical,
and management support services for industrial revitalization efforts
to include caretaking assistance, modernization, explosives/energetics
decontamination, demilitarization, demolition, and divestiture support
for the Navy and other Department of Defense (DoD) customers, and
non-DoD customers. Work will be performed at Naval Surface Warfare
Centers in Indian Head, Md., Crane, Ind., and Dahlgren, Va.; Naval
Weapons Stations in Yorktown, Va., Seal Beach, Calif., Concord,
Calif., and Earle, N.J.; and the Naval Air Systems Command, Naval
Weapons Industrial Reserve Plants in Texas, New York, Connecticut and
Ohio. Work is expected to be completed by April 2015. Contract funds
will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract
was competitively procured via the Federal Business Opportunities Web
site, with one offer received. The Naval Surface Warfare Center, Indian
Head Division, Indian Head, Md., is the contracting activity.
EDO Communications and
Countermeasures Systems, Inc., wholly owned by ITT Force Protection Systems,
Thousand Oaks, Calif., is being awarded a $31,269,829
cost-plus-incentive-fee, cost-plus award fee, cost-only,
firm-fixed-price modification to previously awarded contract
(N0024-09-C-6316) to exercise options for all material and services to
support the system development and demonstration phase through critical
design review for the three capabilities (dismounted, mounted, and
fixed-site) of the joint counter radio-controlled improvised explosive
device electronic warfare (JCREW) 3.3 system of systems, 71°C ambient
temperature. JCREW systems provide combat troops protection against
radio-controlled improvised explosive devices. Work will be performed
at Clifton, N.J. (41 percent), Annapolis Junction, Md. (30 percent),
and Thousand Oaks, Calif. (29 percent), and is expected to be
complete by June 2010. Contract funds in the amount $8,500,000 will
expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Naval Sea Systems
Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity.
The Boeing Co., St. Louis, Mo., is
being awarded a $13,632,188 cost-plus-fixed-fee delivery order against
a previously issued Basic Ordering Agreement (N00019-05-G-0026) to
complete the AESA waveform generator DDS II die parts obsolescence
redesign engineering change proposal for the F/A-18E/F aircraft. Work
will be performed in El Segundo, Calif. (87.7 percent), and St.
Louis, Mo. (12.3 percent), and is expected to be completed in March
2011. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal
year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md. is the
contracting activity.
Souza Construction, Inc.*,
Farmersville, Calif., is being awarded
$10,221,050 for firm-fixed-price task order #0002 under a previously
awarded multiple-award construction contract (N62473-09-D-1652) for
facility energy improvements at Heat Plant 5 (HP-5) at Marine Corps
Logistics Base, Barstow. Work will be performed in Barstow, Calif.,
and is expected to be completed by September 2011. Funds for this
project are provided by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of
2009. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal
year. Seven proposals were received for this task order. The Naval
Facilities Engineering Command, Southwest, San Diego, Calif., is the
contracting activity.
Northrop Grumman Guidance
and Electronic Co., Woodland Hills, Calif., was awarded a
$14,109,480 contract which provides for 252 embedded GPS inertial navigation
system production units for the USAF F-16. At this time, the entire
amount has been obligated. 647 AESS/PK,
Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity.
Mercury Air Centers Inc.
dba Atlantic Aviation, Los Angeles, Calif., is being awarded a
maximum $8,376,373 fixed-price with economic price adjustment contract
for jet fuel. Other locations of performance
include Los Angeles International Airport, Los Angeles, Calif. Using services are the Army, Navy, Air Force,
Marine Corps, and other federal civilian agencies. There
were originally three proposals solicited with three responses. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the
current fiscal year. The date of performance
completion is March
31, 2014. The
Defense Energy Support Center, Fort Belvoir, Va. (SP0600-10-D-0048), is
the contracting activity.
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Compiled
for the California Space Authority by Embry-Riddle Aeronautical
University,
Edward
Ellegood
--
Jamie Foster, COO, California Space Authority (CSA)
http://www.CaliforniaSpaceAuthority.org/
3201 Airpark Dr. #204, Santa Maria, CA 93455
(805) 349-2633 x122, FAX (805) 349-2635
===
To be removed from this list, simply contact:
Jamie.Foster@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
===
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