CSA SpotBeam California, November 1, 2010

• From: Dianna Minor <dianna.minor@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
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• Date: Mon, 01 Nov 2010 10:24:08 -0700

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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 <mailto:dianna.minor@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx?subject=SpotBeam%20-%20REMOVE%20from%20distribution>Subscribe <mailto:dianna.minor@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx?subject=SpotBeam%20SUBSCRIBE>

*November 1, 2010*

*California**Items*

*California**Delta 2 Launch Rescheduled*(Source: SpaceFlightNow.com)

The Delta 2 rocket was fueled up and counting down to blastoff from Vandenberg Air Force Base on Oct. 31. Activities were going smoothly and no problems had been announced. However, engineers were monitoring a potential concern and the management team ultimately determined it was prudent to delay the launch for further analysis. Another launch attempt of the Delta 2 rocket could be made Monday night for liftoff at 7:20 p.m. PDT. (10/31)

*ULA Pair Veterans of Delta Rocket Program* (Source: Santa Maria Times)

As the Delta 2 program marks a half century of launches this year, two workers at Vandenberg Air Force Base have a long history of helping keep the rocket flying. United Launch Alliance employees Bill Sobczak and Stephanie Gartrell have worked on the Delta rocket since the 1980s, a span when the site has seen some years pass without any liftoffs and others with missions occurring almost monthly. Click here <http://www.santamariatimes.com/news/local/military/vandenberg/article_b38ac666-e195-11df-834a-001cc4c002e0.html>to read their story. (10/27)

*Debt-Free Sea Launch Emerges From Bankruptcy* (Source: SpaceFlightNow.com)

After winning court and regulatory approval of its Chapter 11 reorganization under majority Russian ownership, California-based Sea Launch emerged from a 16-month bankruptcy process Wednesday with plans to resume satellite delivery missions in 2011. Sea Launch's plan of reorganization was approved July 27 by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Delaware and cleared the U.S. Committee on Foreign Investment on Sept. 8, leading to the reshaped company's effective date of Oct. 27. (10/28)

*SpaceShipTwo Performs Second Glide Test at Mojave Spaceport* (Source: NewSpace Journal) The first SpaceShipTwo vehicle, VSS Enterprise, performed a glide test on Thursday in the skies above the Mojave Air and Space Port in California, according to observers as well as Virgin Galactic. No details about the flight test, other than that it was successful. (10/28)

*Sierra Nevada Fires Hybrid Rocket Motor, Begins Production on Dream Chaser *(Sources: SNC, Parabolic Arc) The Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) Space Systems Group announces the successful completion of two critical milestones for NASA's Commercial Crew Development (CCDev) Program. On September 21, 2010, SNC completed three successful test firings of a single hybrid rocket motor in one day. SNC's newly opened rocket test facility in San Diego County, California, hosted NASA personnel for a rocket motor manufacturing review as well as the motor firings, including one firing under vacuum ignition conditions. The tests, which simulated a complete nominal mission profile, demonstrated the multiple restart capability of SNC's proprietary hybrid rocket motor.

This same hybrid rocket will be used as the main propulsion system on the Dream Chaser during the orbital operations. Sierra Nevada is the main contractor for Scaled Composites' RocketMotorTwo, which will power SpaceShipTwo on suborbital flights. Both vehicles are using the same propulsion system. This probably explains why Scaled Composite and Virgin Galactic officials are predicting powered test flights of SpaceShipTwo in 2011. (10/21)

*Billionaires Wanted for Starship Plan* (Source: MSNBC)

For some billionaires, space travel is a cause worth big bucks. The examples range from Virgin Group chairman Richard Branson, who's putting together what's likely to be the first suborbital spaceline, to Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos, who is backing the publicity-shy Blue Origin space venture (and benefiting from NASA funding). But how far are deep-pocketed space fans willing to go? Pete Worden, the director of NASA's Ames Research Center, recently hinted that billionaires are being recruited to kick in contributions for a deep-space mission known as "the Hundred Year Starship."

The idea builds on the long-discussed concept of sending people on one-way missions to space destinations, in hopes of jump-starting colonization of the final frontier. Worden is quoted as saying NASA has already committed $100,000 to the project, with DARPA providing another $1 million in funding. Worden said he has discussed the potential price tag for one-way trips to Mars with Google co-founder Larry Page, telling him such a mission could be done for $10 billion. "His response was, 'Can you get it down to $1 [billion] or $2 billion?' So now we're starting to get a little argument over the price," Worden was quoted as saying. (10/27)

*Is NASA Covering Up the 100-Year Starship?* (Source: FOX News)

A NASA official may have made a 35-million-mile slip of the tongue. The director of NASA's Ames Research Center in California casually let slip mention of the 100-Year Starship recently, a new program funded by the super-secret government agency, DARPA. In a talk at San Francisco's Long Conversation conference, Simon "Pete" Worden said DARPA has $1M to spend, plus another $100,000 from NASA itself, for the program, which will initially develop a new kind of propulsion engine that will take us to Mars or beyond.

Since that revelation, hundreds of news reports have theorized that the substantial budget indicates the Hundred Year Starship is a dramatic shift for the stalled space program, not just a research project; others suggest it is a serious attempt to find a way to Mars. And NASA? The space agency seems to be dodging all questions. There is now wild speculation about the program. Worden mentioned the idea of working with third-parties to help fund future missions. He said Larry Page, the Google founder, asked how much it would cost to fund the mission (the answer: about $10 billion). This begs the question: is NASA ready to leverage its work by enlisting private enterprises? (10/29)

*Dead Spacecraft Walking* (Source: NASA Science)

A pair of NASA spacecraft that were supposed to be dead last year are instead flying to the Moon for a breakthrough mission in lunar orbit. "Their real names are THEMIS P1 and P2, but I call them 'dead spacecraft walking,'" says Vassilis Angelopoulos of UCLA, principal investigator of the THEMIS mission. "Not long ago they appeared to be doomed, but now they are beginning an incredible new adventure."

Their original mission was going well, except for one thing: Occasionally, they would pass through the shadow of Earth. The solar powered spacecraft were designed to go without sunlight for as much as three hours at a time, so a small amount of shadowing was no problem. But as the mission wore on, their orbits evolved and by 2009 the pair was spending as much as 8 hours a day in the dark.

The team brainstormed a solution. Because the mission had gone so well, the spacecraft still had an ample supply of fuel--enough to go to the Moon. NASA approved the trip and in late 2009, they headed away from the shadows of Earth. With a new destination, the mission needed a new name. The team selected ARTEMIS, the Greek goddess of the Moon. It also stands for "Acceleration, Reconnection, Turbulence and Electrodynamics of the Moon's Interaction with the Sun. (10/27)

*NASA Software Promotes Airplane Fuel Efficiency* (Source: NASA)

Software developed at NASA's Ames Research Center at Moffett Field, Calif., is enabling major fuel savings for airlines and an increase in environmental efficiency. The Ames Direct-To software is a product of NASA aeronautics research in air traffic management. The software has been adopted by The Boeing Company for commercial use. Boeing intends to offer airlines the opportunity to subscribe next year to a new air traffic efficiency service that uses the software. (10/26)

*Loral Delivers Intelsat Satellite to Launch Base* (Source: Loral)

Loral, the world's leading provider of commercial satellites, announced that a communications satellite that it designed and built for Intelsat arrived safely at the European Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, where it is scheduled to launch in November aboard an Ariane 5 launch vehicle. (10/26)

*Lockheed Martin BSAT-3b Satellite Ready for Launch* (Source: Lockheed Martin) The BSAT-3b broadcasting satellite, designed and built by Lockheed Martin for the Broadcasting Satellite System Corporation (B-SAT) of Japan, is ready for liftoff on Oct. 28 aboard an Ariane 5-ECA launch vehicle provided by Arianespace. The launch window opens at 5:51 p.m. ET and closes at 7:01 p.m. ET. (10/26)

*O.C. Poet to Blog Final Discovery Launch* (Source: Orange County Register)

As the shuttle Discovery soars into space on its final flight, Chapman University associate professor Anna Leahy will have one of the best seats in the house. As the shuttle Discovery soars into space on its final flight Tuesday, Chapman University associate professor Anna Leahy will have one of the best seats in the house. Leahy, an award-winning poet, along with her husband, Chapman associate librarian Douglas Dechow, will fulfill a lifelong ambition when they travel to Cape Canaveral, Florida, to see the launch of a manned spaceship.

It is also likely to be the second to last launch of any shuttle. The shuttle fleet is expected to be retired after the final flight by Endeavor in February, although more flights remain a possibility. While Dechow will be watching from a beach nearby, Leahy's press credential will get her into the Kennedy Space Center. She'll be covering the flight for Chapman Magazine. (10/29)

*Astronomer to Discuss Search for Earth-Like Planets on at UCSC on Nov. 17*(Source: UCSC) Greg Laughlin, a professor of astronomy and astrophysics at UC Santa Cruz, will take the audience on a guided tour of the bizarre menagerie of planets that have been discovered outside our solar system, in a free public lecture on Nov. 17, at 7 p.m. For more information about this lecture, call (831) 459-2844. (10/28)

*Rep. Napolitano and Astronaut Jose Hernandez Visit Local Schools* (Source: Rep. Napolitano) Rep. Grace F. Napolitano hosted astronaut José Hernández as he visited Pueblo School in Pomona, 4th Street Elementary in East L.A., and Lampton Elementary in Norwalk, sharing his story with students and encouraging them to seek higher education. Hernández visited the three schools at the request of Rep. Napolitano. "Today is a great day for our schools," Napolitano said. "We are honored to have José Hernández here to motivate our students to reach for the stars." (10/27)

*Astronaut With Local Ties Visits Pomona* (Source: SGV Tribune)

Hard work, perseverance and focus will help Pomona Unified School District students achieve their goals, a NASA astronaut told a group of 450 Pueblo Elementary School students Monday. Dressed in a blue flight suit, astronaut Jose Hernandez spoke to fourth through eighth graders at the Village at Indian Hill Conference Center about how they could achieve any goal they set their mind on. "I'm not that much different from you," Hernandez said. "I see so much of myself in you."

Hernandez, 48, was the flight engineer on the space shuttle Discovery mission from Aug. 28 to Sept. 11, 2009. During the mission, Hernandez and other astronauts traveled to the International Space Station to drop off a member of the station crew and to deliver more than 18,000 pounds of equipment and supplies. (10/26)

*National & International Items*

*Spooky Stuff From NASA*(Source: MSNBC)

Did you know that NASA has a spokesman who talks to dead people? That's not the only thing that's spooky about the space effort. Halloween is the perfect time to touch upon the freaky side of the final frontier. This week The Washington Post profiled Rob Gutro, the deputy news chief at Goddard Space Flight Center, who happens to be a meteorologist as well as a medium. In his other life, he tromps through haunted buildings, communes with spirits and snaps pictures of ghostly orbs.

It's not as if Gutro's spiritualist side is a big secret: He's written a book about his experiences, titled "Ghosts and Spirits: Insights From a Medium." And it's not unusual for folks who work at NASA to delve into mysterious phenomena. One of the prime examples is Apollo astronaut Ed Mitchell, who had such a deep spiritual awakening during his 1971 mission to the moon that he went on to establish the Institute of Noetic Sciences and look into UFOs and psychic phenomena. (10/30)

*Final Discovery Launch Moved to Wednesday* (Source: Florida Today)

NASA is now targeting a 3:52 p.m. Wednesday launch of Discovery to the International Space Station. Repairs to fittings on a helium line attached to a rocket engine pod have taken longer than anticipated. Managers this morning decided the repairs and repressurization of the system wouldn't be complete in time to start the countdown at 2 p.m. on Saturday. (10/31)

*Shuttle Launch Forecast: 70 Percent Chance Weather Will Be "Go"* (Source: Florida Today) NASA is gearing up today for the start of a three-day countdown to the planned launch Wednesday of shuttle Discovery's final flight, and the weather appears as if it will cooperate. Meteorologists say there is a 70 percent chance conditions will be acceptable for an on-time liftoff at 3:52 p.m. Wednesday. The only concerns are a chance of low-level clouds or rain within 20 nautical miles of the Shuttle Landing Facility at Kennedy Space Center. (10/31)

*Shuttle Liftoff Delayed as Engineers Troubleshoot Helium, Nitrogen Leaks* (Source: CBS) NASA managers decided to delay launch of the shuttle Discovery from Monday to at least Tuesday -- election day in the United States -- because of work to fix two leaks, one helium and one nitrogen, in the plumbing of the orbiter's right-side orbital maneuvering system rocket pod. The start of Discovery's countdown will slip one day to 2 p.m. EDT (18:00 GMT) Saturday. Assuming the repair work goes smoothly, the shuttle could be ready for launch by Tuesday, at 4:17:56 p.m., but that remains to be seen. The current launch window extends through Nov. 7. (10/29)

*Mystery Solved: Why Do NASA Space Shuttles Look So Dirty?* (Source: Space.com) They're big and fast and fly in space, but NASA's space shuttles are far from being shiny white spaceships straight off the factory floor. Case in point: Space shuttle Discovery, as it nears retirement, wears its age with pride. Discovery is NASA's oldest flying space shuttle and the most-flown of the agency's three-orbiter fleet. But after 26 years of spaceflight (Discovery first launched in August 1984), the shuttle shows its age. Its white and black exterior is marred with black streaks.

It turns out, there's a reason. Discovery and other shuttles earn their weathering mainly from the searing heat of re-entry through Earth's atmosphere, when they are subjected to scorching hot temperatures of up to 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit. While NASA engineers routinely inspect each shuttle for dings and damage after each flight, they only replace equipment that really needs it. That means insulation blankets, tiles and other gear -- even if they look dirty or worn -- stay on the ship if they can still do their job. (10/27)

*Budget Cuts May Doom Extra Shuttle Launch* (Source: Orlando Sentinel)

Just weeks after President Obama signed into law a new blueprint for NASA -- one that was supposed to add another space shuttle launch next year -- the compromise is in danger of coming undone by a lack of money. The latest NASA plan calls for $19 billion in spending next year to fund several costly initiatives, including beginning work on a new "heavy lift" rocket capable of one day taking humans to an asteroid and paying commercial rocket companies to gear up to take crew and cargo to the International Space Station.

Also included are plans to modernize Kennedy Space Center and launch an additional shuttle in mid-2011. But with GOP gains likely on Election Day, congressional Republicans are expected to have the muscle to block increases in the federal budget -- including a $300 million uptick for NASA -- during this year's lame duck session.

Space supporters worry that NASA's 2011 budget could be reduced below its 2010 level of $18.7 billion as Congress looks to cut the deficit and government spending. Congress has yet to pass a budget for the 2011 fiscal year. "There are senators, namely Sen. [Jim] DeMint of South Carolina and Sen. [Tom] Coburn of Oklahoma, that are insisting that all appropriations go back to the 2008 level. That, of course, would be devastating to NASA," said Sen. Bill Nelson, noting NASA's 2008 budget was about $17.3 billion. (10/28)

*NASA Officials Concerned Over Continuing STS-135 Uncertainty* (Source: NasaSpaceFlight.com) Members of NASA's Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel (ASAP) have echoed Shuttle workforce concerns from Space Shuttle Program (SSP) manager John Shannon about prolonging the current uncertainty about the status of the proposed STS-135 mission. Lawmakers authorized NASA to fly Atlantis' mission, though it continues to lack the appropriation of funding. The ASAP met at JSC last week for its fourth quarterly meeting.

"The plan we have put in place allows us to carry through enough money to be able to keep the program going and make the decision on whether we fly 135 as late as possible," noted Mr Shannon during preflight briefings at JSC. "We really can't make that decision under a continuing resolution -- we need an appropriations and I'm not sure when that is going to show up, but if it shows up even as late as February or March, we can keep the program intact to preserve the option to fly 135 in the summer time." (10/27)

*Post Election Landscape Raises Big Questions About Budget Strategy* (Sources: Huffington Post, SPACErePORT) If Republicans win a majority of seats in Congress, the new Tea Party-infused GOP would have to quickly confront the real-world consequences of its tax-cutting, budget-cutting, debt-reducing, anti-government rhetoric. Lame-duck Democrats probably will have to pass another short "continuing resolution" to cover funding of all government programs until the 112th Congress convenes for the first time on January 3. If that happens, President Obama will not get the priorities and new programs he wanted, and Republicans will get the chance to undo them.

But the GOP will have to quickly make good on their pledge to cut $100 billion in spending -- a number they have bragged about even while avoiding discussing painful, controversial specifics. One of those specifics is NASA's budget. There is no pro-NASA, pro-exploration strategy that does not require a hefty increase in the agency's budget. Indeed, the GOP's pledge to cut overall government spending could actually reduce NASA's budget. (10/28)

*How A Republican Take-Over In Midterm Elections Could Affect NASA *(Source: Neon Tommy) How may the U.S. midterm elections on Nov. 2 impact space policy? That's what industry advocate Space Foundation asked and is offering help to monitor. The nonpartisan, nonprofit organization created a document you can download that "lists the U.S. House and Senate members running for reelection who sit on committees with jurisdiction over space policy and/or have space-related constituencies."

Eleven lists comprise the election tracking document: five House committees, five Senate committees and an "Others" category; members are sorted by seniority. After the elections, the Space Foundation will update the document with results of each race and also make it available online. "A lot of the senior Democrats who oversee NASA space policy for years in the House are retiring," said Brendan Curry, Space Foundation Vice President Washington Operations. "So there's a lot of change in the House; the Senate, not so much." Click here <http://bit.ly/bOMudY>to download the Space Foundation document. (10/25)

*Space Policy Experts Point to Continuing Uncertainty for Civil Space* (Source: Space Policy Online) Just four days before an election that may directly impact the recently agreed upon plans for NASA and the human spaceflight program, space policy analysts say implementation of the 2010 National Space Policy (NSP) is threatened by a sense of lingering uncertainty. Scott Pace, Director of the GWU Space Policy Institute, described the NSP's section on space exploration as problematic. Issues of implementation, said Pace, would come up at the interfaces between policy, programs, and budget: "problems happen at the seams," he added.

Where the policy is clear, as in the direction it lays out for the Department of Commerce's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), implementation has already begun. Mary Kicza, Assistant Administrator for Satellite and Information Services at NOAA, lauded the policy for providing more clarity and direction to the agency. Already, NOAA has been engaging countries, like Japan, China, India, Canada, and others, in data sharing and other initiatives.

Participants also mentioned elements like the push for increased international cooperation as a positive and implementable aspect of the policy. Not only an opportunity for government agencies, international engagement may also provide a boost to U.S. industry, suggested AIA CEO Marion Blakey. Where the policy is less clear, on the other hand, implementation issues abound. Victoria Samson, of the Secure World Foundation, for example, praised the policy for its initiatives towards securing the sustainability of space, but pointed to several lingering questions. Click here <http://www.spacepolicyonline.com/pages/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1194:space-policy-experts-point-to-continuing-uncertainty-for-civil-space-as-a-challenge&catid=67:news&Itemid=27>to read the article. (10/30)

*Gifford's Husband Scheduled to Meet Twin in Space* (Source: Fox 11 AZ)

While Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords has been concentrating on beating back an opponent's electoral challenge, her mind also has been in space. Giffords' husband, Mark Kelly, is expected to be the commander of Endeavor, the final shuttle mission for NASA. The mission, which launches in February, will bring equipment to the International Space Station. Upon arrival, he expects to see his twin brother, Scott, who is the commander of the station for the next six months. (10/28)

*New Yorker Wants Vote on Big Apple ET Affairs Commission* (Source: AOL News) New York City is home to practically every ethnic group under the sun, and if one UFO researcher gets his way, it will soon be host to every extraterrestrial species in the universe. Michael Luckman has crafted a ballot initiative that, if passed, would create an ET Affairs Commission. The panel would consist of seven volunteers who would meet twice a year to gather the most compelling evidence regarding the existence of extraterrestrials and UFOs and post it on the city's website.

The initiative is almost identical to one being considered by Denver voters, but while that city's altitude makes it closer to outer space than New York, Luckman believes there's no contest as to which burg ETs should visit first. Getting signatures for any ballot initiative isn't easy, but Luckman believes New York's large size will actually make it easier to collect enough to make an impact.

One of the commission's first duties will be considering sites where alien spacecraft might land. Luckman says another duty of the proposed commission would be appointing a liaison to act as go-between for the city and visitors from other worlds. Click here <http://aol.it/aJazFF>to read the article. (10/28)

*Denver Ballot Initiative Seeks Creation of Space Alien Affairs Commission*(Source: Initiated Ordinance 300, on the ballot in Denver Colorado, asks voters to decide whether Denver should create an "extraterrestrial affairs commission" that would "ensure the health, safety, and cultural awareness of Denver residents and visitors in relation to potential encounters or interactions with with extraterrestrial intelligent beings or their vehicles, and fund such commission from grants, gifts and donations". Click here <http://bit.ly/bDF4qy>for more. (10/24)

*Editorial: Hang Up, Denver; Don't Phone Home* (Source: Denver Post)

Denver finally might become the type of sanctuary city we can support: a sanctuary city for aliens. The real kind. Denver voters are deciding this fall whether to require the city to set up an Extraterrestrial Affairs Commission to "ensure the health, safety and cultural awareness of Denver residents" if and when we come into contact "with extraterrestrial intelligent beings or their vehicles."

Remember, city voters once approved impounding the vehicles of illegal immigrants; we might as well prepare to impound the UFOs of these illegal aliens, too. Proponent Jeff Peckman pitched Initiative 300 as a jobs measure, saying he "envisions sci-fi film directors flocking here, space-travel researchers, and engineers hoping to pry the secrets of intergalactic technology from space visitors." Kelly Brough, president of the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce, took it all in stride, telling the Journal: "We are open for business to all other planets." Still, should E.T. phone here, we say: Hang up. (10/31)

*Candidates Debate Space in Alabama* (Source: Space Politics)

Last week the two candidates for Alabama's 5th Congressional District, Republican Mo Brooks and Democrat Steve Raby, participated in a debate hosted by the AIAA. The two are vying to win the seat held by Democrat-turned-Republican Parker Griffith, who lost the Republican primary. Brooks claimed that if elected "he believes he'll be named to at least two key Congressional Committees that would have a major say in steering funding toward NASA." The only committee that "steers funding" to NASA is the House Appropriations Committee----and, typically, its members do not sit on any other committees.

Raby argues that what NASA workers "need and want" are "new missions", although he isn't specific about what kind of new mission (Brooks is said to favor a return to the Moon as a prelude to human missions to Mars.) Raby said he would support extending the shuttle program while NASA worked on an HLV. He doesn't explain how the shuttle would be extended at this late date without a significant gap in launches, nor how shuttle and HLV work could both fit into NASA's budget.

Raby said he's also concerned about a "BRAC for NASA", a reference to the Base Realignment and Closure process used to close Defense Department facilities. However, the new NASA authorization act prevents any reductions in force of NASA's civil servant workforce---which presumably would be one element of a BRAC process---through the end of FY2013. Most election analysts have the district strongly leaning towards Brooks: the New York Times' FiveThirtyEight gives Brooks nearly a 95-percent chance of winning a week from today. (10/26)

*NASA: Lost in Space* (Source: Business Week)

It's 9 a.m., and 100 employees at KSC are lining up for the chance to do some freelance work. Director Michael Bay will use the famed NASA facility as a backdrop for Transformers 3, the finale of his alien robot war trilogy, a Hollywood tip-of-the-hat to a place that once launched the future. Bay needs extras---and KSC has no shortage. The facility's main mission, launching Space Shuttles, is about to end. Eight thousand engineers, technicians, and other employees are losing their jobs. Nearby towns like Cape Canaveral, Cocoa Beach, and Titusville are already in a defensive crouch, like wobbly boxers waiting for a knockout punch.

NASA management is holding "morale events" to elevate spirits. A few days before the casting call, agency officials eased security rules to allow employees' families to witness what is expected to be the final "rollout" of the orbiter Discovery. Click here <http://bit.ly/duwBQ1>to read the article. (10/28)

*Moonwalker Shares Thoughts on America's Journey Into Space*(Source: WPTV)

Retired Astronaut Dr. Edgar Mitchell flew aboard the Apollo 14 mission and spent almost ten hours working on the surface of the moon. With the 40th anniversary of Apollo 14's journey fast approaching, Mitchell expressed optimism about future expeditions on the lunar landscape and into outer space.

As for the Space Shuttle program being set to retire next year, Mitchell says there are good reasons for it. One is economics. He states "it was a necessary step, I believe, because our economic system had virtually collapsed on us... Going back to the moon is important, but not nearly as important as getting the world economic system up and humming again." The second reason for the shuttle retirement he cites, is technology. Mitchell says "The shuttle is almost 30 years old now. They're all old machines." (10/27)

*Garver: NASA Changes Include Space Station Management Approach* (Source: Aviation Week) NASA's expected shift from traditional cost-plus contracts to fixed-price procurements will affect not only how the agency buys spacecraft and services for flying astronauts to orbit, but also how it provides for the maintenance and operation of the International Space Station (ISS), Deputy Administrator Lori Garver says. The agency wants to put a nonprofit organization in charge of the station to "stimulate, develop and manage use of the ISS for users other than the government," Garver said.

"We expect to enter the competitive acquisition phase on this very soon." Following the government's plans to buy rides for space station crewmembers from commercial launch providers, NASA intends to make the space station more available to businesses, in hopes of stimulating new products, services and markets. Read an essay on this topic here <http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1385/1>. (10/25)

*ATK Calls Ares Rocket Engine Ready for Flight* (Source: Daily Herald)

Officials at Alliant Techsystems say recent testing shows their Utah-built rocket motor is ready to fly. But they say they're not sure of federal funding. ATK Aerospace Systems executive Charlie Precourt said the company's next-generation Ares-1 rocket motor performed as designed during the Aug. 31 ground test in Promontory and is ready for flight testing. The two-minute test produced a fiery blast and some 3.6 million pounds of thrust, or 22 million horsepower. Another ground test is tentatively planned next fall to see how high heat would affect the motor. (10/28)

*Historic KSC Launch Pad 39-B Dismantled* (Source: WESH)

Forty years of space history is being demolished at the Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral as crews worked to begin dismantling historic launch pad 39-B. It is not yet clear when launch pad 39-B will make history again. The pad is one of two used for both the Apollo and Shuttle programs. Shuttle Discovery is prepared for its next flight on the only remaining pad, 39-A, where it is set to launch Monday. The last time pad 30-B was used it launched an Aries 1X, which was to be the rocket to launch astronauts to the moon again. The Aries program has since been canceled. (10/27)

*Investigation: Government Waste At KSC* (Source: WFTV)

WFTV investigates a massive case of government waste at Kennedy Space Center. NASA could have added another shuttle mission or it could have hired more than 1,000 scientists on six-figure salaries for the next five years. NASA managers instead committed a half-billion dollars to building a 345-foot tower, and now they don't know what to do with it. Critics call it the ultimate monument to government waste. The launch tower was designed to support moon missions, but with those plans now scrapped, NASA moved it to a parking space where it's still collecting dust.

The GAO has blasted NASA projects for running over budget and behind schedule for the past 20 years. This time, managers were determined to change that. So they built the launch pad before they had a functional rocket. Critics blame NASA managers in Huntsville, Alabama for making decisions without enough input from the experts at KSC. NASA says the structure will still work for just about any type of rocket that might be developed in the future.

"The structure was built, so now we can look at what rockets come out here to launch, whether it be commercial or a heavy lift rocket, and then we can outfit it to fit the rocket so we can use it," a KSC spokesman said. The problem is, NASA has no plans to build or test rockets for another six years and there are no guarantees they would work with the tower. NASA also spent $13 million, modifying a shuttle launch pad for the Ares one-and-only test flight. Now it's being torn down, but the $28 million lightning towers will be left behind for whichever rocket might someday be launched there. (10/28)

*Florida 2010 Launch Manifest Shrinks*(Source: SPACErePORT)

At the beginning of 2010, Florida's launch schedule for the year included 14 missions for Atlas, Delta, Falcon, and Space Shuttle vehicles. We're now on track for completing only 12 missions before the end of 2010. Thus far, the Cape Canaveral Spaceport has hosted nine launches (three Atlas, two Delta, one Falcon, three Space Shuttles). Missions that have formally slipped beyond 2010 include a Space Shuttle mission and an Atlas GPS mission. The remaining 2010 missions include three in November (a Delta-4, Falcon-9, and Space Shuttle). No launches are scheduled for January. (10/29)

*Research Rockets Rain Down on Alaska Refuge* (Source: Alaska Dispatch)

Largely unnoticed by all but the wildlife and a handful of wilderness wanderers, the U.S government has, for decades now, been slamming rockets into the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge of northern Alaska. The bombing, NASA says, is nothing to worry about; it's merely a little fallout from science. Hikers who have stumbled on the debris, though, say it is more than a little unsettling. "These rockets would kill anyone near the impact site and would destroy a cabin," said Brad Meiklejohn, who found the tail end of a rocket in the Wind River drainage of the Brooks Range this summer and then started examining the debris field.

"There was thick, half-inch metal shrapnel over a 100-foot radius around the rockets." Not to worry, say the scientists. The rockets come from the University of Alaska Fairbanks' Poker Flats Research Range and are used almost entirely for auroral research, which means they only go up and come down in the winter when the aurora borealis is active over the North. Rare is the traveler in ANWR in the winter, but Poker Flats doesn't take even that for granted, said Kathe Rich, operations controller at the launch facility. "We also do flyovers," she said. (10/28)

*New Mexico Spaceport Sets Stage for Commercial Space Race* (Source: AP)

Richard Branson and Gov. Bill Richardson shook hands five years ago to build the world's first dedicated spaceport. With the runway 45 miles north of Las Cruces complete, and the terminal and hangar facility nearly done, they see their partnership as a major milestone for the world's burgeoning commercial space tourism industry. It's only a matter of time now -- and not much time -- before the industry starts to take off, experts say.

Branson and Richardson predict this place in southern New Mexico will be a hot spot in the next nine to 18 months. But it won't be the only one. The commercial space industry is rapidly developing with companies like SpaceX seeking to supply the International Space Station for NASA. Other firms, including Masten Space Systems and Armadillo Aerospace are testing systems that would carry unmanned payloads to space.

Amazon.com Inc. CEO Jeff Bezos is also in the race with Blue Origin, a Washington state company that plans to compete as a space taxi. Boeing Co. has lined up Virginia-based Space Adventures to sell seats on the seven-person spaceship it wants to build to fly to the International Space Station starting in 2015. Space Adventures currently sells seats on trips to the space station aboard the Russian-built Soyuz spaceship. (10/27)

*New Mexico Meeting Focuses on Spaceport Sales-Tax Money* (Source: Las Cruces Sun-News) Area school officials gave an update on how they're spending spaceport sales-tax dollars on education. The Las Cruces, Hatch and Gadsden districts are each receiving a share of the spaceport sales tax Dona Ana County voters approved in 2007. The 1/4 of 1 percent spaceport sales tax took effect in January 2009. But a debate about how much oversight the county commission should have over the dollars kept the money from being distributed to the districts for most of last year. Of the revenue generated from the tax, 25 percent goes to education, while the remaining 75 percent goes to repay bonds for construction of the $212 million Spaceport America. (10/26)

*Spaceflight Federation Comments on Rocket Emissions Issue* (Source: CSF)

The Commercial Spaceflight Federation (CSF) and its member organizations, including five providers of commercial reusable suborbital spaceflight services, supports the kind of scientific inquiry that led to the recent paper titled, "Potential Climate Impact of Black Carbon Emitted by Rockets." The commercial spaceflight sector aspires to good environmental stewardship.

In a new fact sheet, the CSF has clarified several assumptions used by the researchers in their model-based analysis, suggesting they may have dramatically overestimated the actual environmental impact of reusable suborbital vehicles. The CSF, working with its scientific advisory panel, the Suborbital Applications Researchers Group (SARG), and its suborbital spaceflight provider members, is exploring ways the industry can provide research opportunities to document the actual levels of emissions made by suborbital launches through ground test and in-flight experiments. The Commercial Spaceflight Federation is also assembling a panel of independent experts to provide recommendations to the industry and researchers. Click here <http://www.commercialspaceflight.org/Other%20Content/Fact%20Sheet%20on%20Article%20in%20Geophysical%20Research%20Letters%20-%20Oct%202010.pdf>to see the fact sheet. (10/30)

*New Wine to Celebrate Virginia's Spaceport*(Source: Parabolic Arc)

The Virginia Commercial Space Flight Authority and Holly Grove Vineyards are pleased to announce 'Genesis', a new Virginia wine, with a very unique label celebrating the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS) and Virginia's return to space. Billie Reed, the Space Authority's Executive Director will give 'Genesis' to his NASA hosts when he attends the launch of the Space Shuttle Discovery in Florida. Jonathan Bess, the owner of Holly Grove Vineyards, discussed this idea with Spaceport officials while attending a presentation by Bigelow Aerospace. (10/28)

*NASA Ups Ante In Commercial Crew* (Source: Aviation Week)

NASA has unveiled a $200-million solicitation to beef up its current $50-million investment in commercially provided crew transportation concepts, with the intention of awarding multiple contracts by March. Companies have until Dec. 13 to submit proposals for NASA's Commercial Crew Development Round 2 (CCDev 2) program, a follow-on to a current program that is funding work by Sierra Nevada Corp., Boeing Co., United Launch Alliance, Blue Origin and Paragon Space Development. (10/27)

*SpaceX Dragon Cleared For Launch, Awaiting First FAA Re-Entry License* (Source: Aviation Week) SpaceX is awaiting an FAA license to fly its Dragon capsule through the atmosphere, following launch on a Falcon 9 rocket targeted for Nov. 18 from the Cape Canaveral Spaceport. The launch license was granted Oct. 15. The pending re-entry license will be the first ever issued by FAA, according to George Nield, FAA's associate administrator for Commercial Space Transportation. (10/28)

*SpaceX Opens Office in Huntsville to Explore New Business* (Source: Huntsville Times) The high-profile commercial space company led by billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk is opening an office in Cummings Research Park. "Huntsville is the Rocket City," spokeswoman Kirstin Brost said Wednesday night. "We want to be a part of it." The company, which is vying for contracts to carry astronauts to and from the International Space Station, isn't trumpeting its arrival. It will be a small office with a few employees as the company explores new business opportunities, Brost said. (10/28)

*Bigelow Aerospace Shows Off Bigger, Badder Space Hotels* (Source: Popular Mechanics) Bigelow recently displayed concepts for the various configurations of clusters of its workhorse BA-330 module. It's an impressive structure---45 feet long, 22 feet in diameter and containing 12,000 cubic feet of volume. (In one scheme shown by Bigelow, nine BA-330s were connected to create a space hospital with more than 100,000 cubic feet of habitable space.)

Capable of comfortably supporting six crew members, according to Bigelow, each BA-300 module is more than 10 times as large as the dual-Orion configuration that Lockheed Martin has devised for its Plymouth Rock asteroid mission. In fact, during one panel discussion, Bigelow tweaked the Lockheed Martin representative sitting next to him, claiming that "Orion is unnecessary." Bigelow joked that he wanted to make sure that crews returned from deep space alive and well---or, at least, without turning on one another after suffering attacks of claustrophobia. (10/28)

*NASA Space Station Marks 10th Year* (Source: Florida Today)

The views from this five-bedroom, two-bathroom home are, well, out of this world. And for the past decade, not a day has passed when someone hasn't been able to gaze out at Earth streaming by 220 miles below. Tuesday marks 10 years of humans permanently living and working aboard the International Space Station. That will break the record of uninterrupted human presence in Earth orbit, eight days short of 10 years, by Mir, a Russian complex in orbit from 1986 to 2001. (10/31)

*Russian Progress Supply Ship Launches to Space Station* (Source: CBS)

An unmanned Russian cargo ship loaded with three tons of supplies blasted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan Wednesday and set off after the International Space Station. Liftoff was timed for roughly the moment Earth's rotation carried the launch pad into the plane of the space station's orbit and as luck would have it, the lab complex was almost directly over Baikonur. (10/27)

*Russian Transport Ship Progress Turns Into Research Laboratory* (Source: Itar-Tass) The Russian transport ship Progress that undocked from the International Space Station (ISS) on October 25, has turned into a research laboratory. "Progress M-05M that undocked from the station at 18:25 Moscow time will be used for a geophysical experiment for three weeks," Mission Control Center spokesman Valery Lyndin said. Some fuel was left in the ship's tanks to keep it going for three weeks. After the end of the experiment, the ship will be disposed of in the Pacific. (10/25)

*ISS Orbit Corrected to Avoid Fragment of Space Garbage* (Source: Itar-Tass)

Specialists from the Russian Mission Control Center (MCC) corrected on Tuesday the orbit of the International Space Station in order to avoid its collision with space garbage. Progress cargo craft's eight docking and orientation engines were used for that. ISS's speed increased by 0.4 meters per second. As a result, the orbit was raised by about 700 meters. In the point of dangerous approach the station was 1.5 kilometers above the space garbage. NASA specialists on Tuesday warned Russian colleagues that a fragment of space garbage was approaching the International Space Station, and this, according to NASA specialists, could pose danger to the station and its crew. (10/26)

*Editorial: Humans to Asteroids: Watch Out!* (Source: New York Times)

A few weeks ago, an asteroid almost 30 feet across and zipping along at 38,000 miles per hour flew 28,000 miles above Singapore. Why, you might reasonably ask, should non-astronomy buffs care about a near miss from such a tiny rock? Well, I can give you one very good reason: asteroids don't always miss. If even a relatively little object was to strike a city, millions of people could be wiped out.

Thanks to telescopes that can see ever smaller objects at ever greater distances, we can now predict dangerous asteroid impacts decades ahead of time. We can even use current space technology and fairly simple spacecraft to alter an asteroid's orbit enough to avoid a collision. We simply need to get this detection-and-deflection program up and running. President Obama has already announced a goal of landing astronauts on an asteroid by 2025 as a precursor to a human mission to Mars. Asteroids are deep-space bodies, orbiting the Sun, not the Earth, and traveling to one would mean sending humans into solar orbit for the very first time.

Facing those challenges of radiation, navigation and life support on a months-long trip millions of miles from home would be a perfect learning journey before a Mars trip. Near-Earth objects like asteroids and comets --- mineral-rich bodies bathed in a continuous flood of sunlight --- may also be the ultimate resource depots for the long-term exploration of space. It is fantastic to think that one day we may be able to access fuel, materials and even water in space instead of digging deeper and deeper into our planet for what we need and then dragging it all up into orbit, against Earth's gravity. (10/26)

*Asteroids: When the Time Comes to Duck* (Source: BBC)

Throughout geological history, our planet has been hit by a succession of major asteroids and the probabilities suggest further impacts will occur in the future. No-one can say today when these might happen; we haven't yet identified an asteroid of sufficient size and on a path that gives us immediate cause for concern. But the evidence hints strongly that something could find us sooner or later, and we need to be ready.

On average, an object about the size of car will enter the Earth's atmosphere once a year, producing a spectacular fireball in the sky. About every 2,000 years or so, an object the size of a football field will impact the Earth, causing significant local damage. And then, every few million years, a rock turns up that has a girth measured in kilometers. An impact from one of these will produce global effects. (10/29)

*Asteroid Impact Could Deplete Ozone Layer* (Source: Astronomy Now)

An asteroid impacting into one of Earth's deep oceans would have an obvious effect -- a tsunami -- but a new study focuses on an equally alarming consequence: depletion of the Earth's protective ozone layer. Expert impact crater researcher Elisabetta Pierazzo of the Planetary Science Institute says that a 'medium-sized' asteroid -- that is, one between 500 meters and one kilometer in diameter -- crashing into Earth's ocean would send huge volumes of seawater into the air. "The results suggest that mid-latitude oceanic impact of one kilometer asteroids can produce significant global perturbation of upper atmospheric chemistry, including multi-year global ozone depletion comparable to large ozone hole sizes recorded in the mid 1990s." (10/26)

*Astronauts: Asteroid Threat Calls for Teamwork* (Source: AP)

Space scientists and former astronauts from across the globe are calling for increased international cooperation to help ward off the threat of an asteroid slamming into Earth. Former NASA astronaut Thomas D. Jones says scientists now have the technology to prevent an asteroid, a giant speeding rock, from hitting our planet but implementing it requires all nations working together.

Jones was part of a group that met Friday at the European Space Agency's operational center in Darmstadt, Germany, to push for space agencies from across that globe to form a group to address the issue within the U.N. NASA has tracked nearly 7,000 near-Earth objects that are bigger than several feet across. Of those, 1,111 are "potentially hazardous asteroids." (10/29)

*Want to Mine the Solar System? Start With the Moon* (Source: Space.com)

The first extraterrestrial mining operation in human history will likely start up on the moon, thanks to its ample and relatively accessible stores of water ice, experts say. That was the majority view of a panel of scientists and engineers asked to consider where, beyond Earth, humanity should go first to extract resources. The moon won out over asteroids and Mars, chiefly because it's so close to Earth and has so much water, as well as other resources like methane and ammonia. (10/31)

*Moon Express Enters Google Lunar X PRIZE Competition* (Source: Moon Express) Moon Express Inc., a privately funded lunar transportation and data services company, announced its official entry into the Google Lunar X PRIZE, a $30 million competition that challenges space professionals and engineers from across the globe to build and launch to the Moon a privately funded spacecraft capable of completing a series of exploration and transmission tasks. Team MoonEx, headquartered in San Francisco, CA, is among 24 teams from a dozen countries that are competing for their share of the $30 million prize purse.

Moon Express is also among six U.S. companies award a contract by NASA, the US civil space agency, as part of its $30M Innovative Lunar Demonstration Data (ILDD) program. The ILDD contract is for the purchase of technical data resulting from industry efforts to develop vehicle capabilities and demonstrate end-to-end robotic lunar landing missions. The data from these contracts will inform NASA in the development of future human and robotic lander vehicles and exploration systems. (10/26)

*Suddenly, Lots of Talk About One-Way Missions to Space* (Source: CBS)

Suddenly, the idea of sending humans on one-way flights to colonize other planets is getting a public airing. Just last weekend, NASA Ames Director Simon "Pete" Worden was quoted as saying that NASA has "just started a project with DARPA" called the Hundred Year Starship with the long-range goal of settling other planets. The general idea would be to send humans to destinations where they would live out the remainder of their lives.

And now, a couple of researchers make the argument why the use of one-way tickets to the cosmos would be the preferred - not to mention the most affordable - way to establish human colonies on other worlds. In a paper published in the Journal of Cosmology, Dirk Schulze-Makuch, an associate professor at Washington State University's School of Earth and Environmental Sciences and Paul Davies, a physicist and cosmologist from Arizona State University, say the costs of safely returning a crew would eat up the lion's share of the mission's budget. (10/25)

*The Psychology of Leaving Earth Behind Forever* (Source: FOX News)

The idea of astronauts volunteering for a one-way mission brings up many psychological questions. What are the characteristics of a person willing to cut ties---forever---with touching the faces of those they love, attending (in person) the events that are meaningful to them and touching the possessions they hold dear? What psychological challenges should we anticipate in those who volunteer in good faith and with great courage, yet find themselves confronting misgivings or loneliness or feelings of rage or beset with mental illness?

From a psychological standpoint, I believe there will be many volunteers for a one-way mission. After all, courage and patriotism and a love of invention and adventure are not in short supply in America. Soldiers have stormed beaches knowing full well that they were facing mortality.

Patriots like Senator John McCain have elected to stay in foreign prisons, risking death every day, to honor this country and their countrymen. It will be harder to ferret out those who are volunteering, but too vulnerable, to go. And it will be essential to weed out those who are hoping to escape the earth and the complexities of their relationships, rather than to embrace the future and its possibilities. (10/29)

*Superhero Suit to Strengthen Astronauts' Bones* (Source: New Scientist)

With its stitching clearly visible and reference lines drawn in marker pen, the stretchy superhero-blue suit at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Man Vehicle Laboratory doesn't look like much. But if it works as planned it could offer orbiting astronauts a replacement for something they are sorely missing: gravity.

The microgravity of orbital flight is tough on the bones. Even with regular exercise, an astronaut can lose 1.5 per cent of the mass of some bones in the hips and lower back in just one month. That is similar to the bone loss experienced by a post-menopausal woman in a year. To combat the problem, Russian cosmonauts wear space suits designed to mimic gravity. Bungee cords on the suit's arms and legs exert a force that simulates the body's weight. But these suits are difficult to wear for long periods, and it is not clear how effective they are in preventing bone loss.

The team at MIT, led by engineer James Waldie, now based in Melbourne, Australia, has designed a suit that should be more comfortable. Made of an elastic material, the suit is deliberately cut too short for the wearer, and has stirrups that wrap around the feet so that it stretches when the wearer puts it on. Click here <http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20827843.700-superhero-suit-to-strengthen-astronauts-bones.html>to read the article. (10/28)

*The 123,000 MPH Plasma Engine That Could Finally Take Astronauts To Mars* (Source: Popular Science) You might expect to find our brightest hope for sending astronauts to other planets in Houston, at NASA's Johnson Space Center, inside a high-security multibillion-dollar facility. But it's actually a few miles down the street, in a large warehouse behind a strip mall. This bland and uninviting building is the private aerospace start-up Ad Astra Rocket Company, and inside, founder Franklin Chang Díaz is building a rocket engine that's faster and more powerful than anything NASA has ever flown before. Speed, Chang Díaz believes, is the key to getting to Mars alive. In fact, he tells me as we peer into a three-story test chamber, his engine will one day travel not just to the Red Planet, but to Jupiter and beyond. Click here <http://www.popsci.com/technology/article/2010-10/123000-mph-plasma-engine-could-finally-take-astronauts-mars>for more. (10/13)

*Voyage to Mars? We're Already There!* (Source: Express)

As a one-way trip to the Red Planet is mooted, we reveal how, deep in the most inhospitable places on Earth, astronauts are already living as if they were actually colonizing Mars. THE idea of making a new life on Mars is strangely hypnotic. It may be famously inhospitable -- there's hardly any oxygen and if you step out unsuited your lungs will explode due to the thin atmosphere -- but these drawbacks don't seem to stop the allure of the Red Planet in the popular imagination.

And now comes news from no less an authority than NASA that man may be living there by 2030. There's only one problem. If you are among the first to make the journey you'd never be able to return to Earth. Meanwhile, in a lab at a scientific institute outside Moscow, six men are experimenting with the reality. In June these would-be "astronauts" were locked into a cylindrical spaceship simulator on a 520-day mission to, as one wag put it, boldly go absolutely nowhere at all. Their experiment will simulate the conditions of a flight to Mars (minus the zero gravity and the radiation). (10/30)

*NASA Trapped Mars Rover Finds Evidence of Subsurface Water* (Source: NASA)

The ground where NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit became stuck last year holds evidence that water, perhaps as snow melt, trickled into the subsurface fairly recently and on a continuing basis. Stratified soil layers with different compositions close to the surface led the rover science team to propose that thin films of water may have entered the ground from frost or snow. The seepage could have happened during cyclical climate changes during periods when Mars tilted farther on its axis. The water may have moved down into the sand, carrying soluble minerals deeper than less-soluble ones. (10/28)

*Mars' Volcanic Deposit Tells of Life* (Source: The Hindu)

American scientists claim to have found evidence that suggests Mars had a warm and wet climate which could have supported life some 3.5 billion years ago. Mounds of a mineral deposited on a volcanic cone less than 3.5 billion years ago speak of a warm and wet past, and may preserve evidence of one of the most recent habitable microenvironments on the red planet. Observations by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter enabled the researchers to identify the mineral as hydrated silica which can be dissolved, transported and concentrated by hot water or steam - a dead ringer that water was present at some time. (10/31)

*The Race to the Red Planet* (Source: FOX News)

A 50-million-mile target has been set, a straight spaceshot with a clear (though distant) goal. But who will make the first footprint on Mars? Though both Russia and China have put men in space and say they hope someday to set foot on the moon, the United States remains the only country to do so. Yet Russia and China and some other countries have also publicly articulated a vision for manned space exploration that includes a more distant target: Mars. Click here <http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2010/10/27/road-red-planet-mars-nasa-china/>to read the article. (10/27)

*China Lays Out its Plan for Mars* (Source: MSNBC)

Chinese space officials have come up with a plan that would send an orbiter toward Mars on a Chinese rocket as early as 2013. Such a mission would use technologies that were developed for the Chang'e 1 lunar orbiter and its recently launched follow-up mission, Chang'e 2. The orbiter mission also would follow up on China's joint effort with Russia to send probes toward Mars and one of its moons, Phobos. Launch of the Phobos-Grunt mission is scheduled for a year from now. China's Yinghuo 1 ("Firefly") orbiter would hitch a ride on a Russian-built spacecraft that's designed to put a lander on Phobos and return a soil sample to Earth.

*China Goes To Mars* (Source: Space Daily)

China has made no secret of its plans to explore Mars, but we are getting a firmer indication of what to expect. Vague statements in the Chinese media have suggested that China could launch a mission to Mars in 2013. This is an interesting suggestion for a program that's still largely unknown to us. China's first planned step to Mars is very well known. In 2011, the Yinghuo 1 orbiter will be launched to Mars in tandem with Russia's Phobos-Grunt mission. We know a lot about Yinghuo 1 already, thanks to some fairly open publicity about the mission. Yinghuo 1 is a small orbiter, which will enter a highly elliptical orbit around Mars.

Its main role is to study the tenuous Martian atmosphere, and help to answer one of the greatest mysteries surrounding the planet. Long ago, the atmosphere of Mars was much thicker, helping to produce almost Earthlike conditions on the surface. Why did Mars change into the barren world of today, and why did most of the atmosphere disappear? Roughly two years after Yinghuo 1 is launched, a new "launch window" will open between Earth and Mars, as the position of the planets becomes favorable again. NASA plans to send an orbiter during this window, and it will also study the Martian atmosphere. Could China be ready to fly again so soon? (10/31)

*China Kicks Off Manned Space Station Program* (Source: Xinhua)

China has formally begun its manned space station program, aiming to complete construction of a "relatively large" manned space laboratory around 2020. China was aiming to develop and launch the first part of a space laboratory before 2016, focusing on breakthroughs in living conditions for astronauts and research applications. The country would develop and launch a core cabin and a second laboratory module around 2020, which would be assembled in orbit around the earth into a manned space station. (10/27)

All this activity signals that Beijing will be taking its status as a space power seriously in the years ahead. NASA Administrator Charles Bolden has just returned from a controversial visit to China, and today he said in a written statement that the visit "increased mutual understanding on the issue of human spaceflight and space exploration, which can form the basis for further dialogue and cooperation in a manner that is consistent with the national interests of both of our countries." (10/25)

*China Plans Manned Space Station by 2020* (Source: Financial Times)

China has hailed its latest success in space as Chang'e 2, the country's second lunar probe, successfully sent back high-resolution pictures that are going to be used to plan the country's first unmanned moon landing in 2013. But the officials in charge of Beijing's space program have set their sights much further than that. They announced last week that by 2020, China should have its own manned space station. If it succeeds, it will prove itself to be only the third country, following the US and Russia, capable of building a space station. (10/31)

*U.S. Drifting from China in Space - Opportunity Lost? *(Source: Asia Times)

During his presidential campaign, President Barack Obama pledged that he would improve relations in general between the US and China with respect to outer space. Thus far this objective has not been achieved. Now that Obama's opponents who reject the soundness of many of Obama's plans and policies - and strongly distrust China as well - are poised to take control of the US House of Representatives, Obama will find this objective even more difficult to accomplish.

In light of this space-related gridlock involving the US and China, Joan Johnson-Freese at the US Naval War College labeled Bolden's trip as little more than a gesture. "The good news is that Bolden went to China and the Obama administration is far more open to working with China than the [George W] Bush administration was; the bad news is that I do not think the US is any closer to substantively working with China on space than it was during the Bush administration," she said.

"The problems are twofold: the entire US civil space program is still in an upheaval since [the Constellation program] was canceled - a cancellation likely inevitable due to the goals-resources mismatch - and there are still a large number of legislators who do not want to work with China on much of anything." Meanwhile, Bernard Foing, a European Space Agency (ESA) scientist who serves as executive director of the International Lunar Exploration Working Group (ILEWG) said that other countries are very eager to work with China. The ILEWG is promoting inter-agency coordination, while informing - and even recruiting - commercial firms and entrepreneurs about various space projects. (10/29)

*Orbital Paths of U.S., China Diverge* (Source: Wall Street Journal)

Growing voices on Capitol Hill against space partnership come as Beijing presses ahead, expands ties with others. President Obama's early initiative to explore joint manned space missions with China appears to have been stalled by the changing political winds on Capitol Hill---even as Beijing details ambitious plans to complete its first manned space station within the decade.

An apparent lack of concrete progress in talks on the subject last week suggests the U.S. could miss out on potential benefits, such as cheaper flights to the International Space Station, while China presses ahead with its space program and expands cooperation with Europe, Russia and others to get the technology and experience it needs. (10/28)

*Chinese Long March 3C Launches with BeiDou-2 NavSat* (Source: NasaSpaceFlight.com) China has launched the sixth satellite in their growing navigation system on Sunday, via the launch of their Long March 3C (Chang Zheng-3C) launch vehicle, carrying the BeiDou-2 Compass-G4 satellite. The launch of took place from the Xi Chang Satellite Launch Center, in Sichuan Province on October 31. (10/31)

*China is on Path to 'Militarization of Space'* (Source: Christian Science Monitor) The Asian space race is moving along slowly, but steadily -- and China is in the lead, with technology that could give it a military advantage over the US. China looks set to pull ahead in the Asian space race to the moon, putting a spacecraft into lunar orbit Oct. 6 in a preparatory mission for an unmanned moon landing in two or three years. If successful, it will put China a nose ahead of its Asian rivals with similar lunar ambitions -- India and Japan -- and signal a challenge to the American post-cold-war domination in space.

Compared with the American and Soviet mad dashes into space in the late 1950s and '60s, Asia is taking its time -- running a marathon, not a sprint. Meanwhile, some have pointed out that China's moonshot, like all space programs, has valuable potential military offshoots. China's space program is controlled by the People's Liberation Army (PLA), which is steadily gaining experience in remote communication and measurement, missile technology, and antisatellite warfare through missions like Chang'e 2. The security implications of China's space program are not lost on India, Japan, or the U.S. (10/28)

*NASA Chief Visits China Manned Space Launch Site *(Source: AP)

The head of NASA visited China's manned space flight launch center during a trip to the country to explore possibilities for cooperation, the U.S. agency said Tuesday. China launched its first manned space flight in 2003 and plans an unmanned moon landing in 2012, with a possible manned lunar mission to follow in 2017 --- marking new milestones in its space program while those in the U.S. and elsewhere face tightened budgets. (10/26)

*In Space, the Tourists Aren't Indian* (Source: DNA)

The stage is set for people to enjoy flights in space. But India --- which has carved a niche for itself in low-cost satellite launches --- might as well miss the bus in capitalizing on a cracker of an industry which could yield oodles of excitement, and of course the moolah. As yet there are no takers for this concept within India. Probably, it will be long in coming. And there is a good reason for that. Capt GR Gopinath, who pioneered the low-cost aviation in India by launching Air Deccan in early 2000, believes one needs to have a "rare kind of entrepreneurial spirit" to embark on a business venture like space tourism. (10/31)

*India: Inter-Planetary Missions a Reality Soon* (Source: sify News)

India's space program is inching closer to the realization of its plans for inter-planetary missions, a senior official said Monday. "A mission to Mars, for several reasons, has become a priority for us. We are trying to actualize the ideas as soon as possible. Deep space missions have their own challenges. Gravitational forces from different planets, x-rays from sun and various other hazards have to be carefully monitored before the mission, besides a study of Martian surface," Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) chairman K. Radhakrishnan said. (10/25)

*NSS, India to Launch Space-Based Solar Power Initiative*(Source: Parabolic Arc) The National Space Society will hold a press conference on Nov. 4 to reveal one of the first initiatives ever undertaken by a non-profit American organization and a former head of state. That initiative pairs India's eleventh President, Dr. A.P.J. Kalam with America's National Space Society. Its name? The Kalam-NSS Energy Initiative. The Kalam-NSS Energy Initiative's goals? To solve the global energy crisis. To solve the global carbon crisis. And to solve America's next generation jobs crisis. How? By harvesting solar power in space.

World electricity demand by the year 2035 is projected to increase by 87%. Renewable power generation systems (water, wind, solar, geothermal, etc.) will only meet 23% of that demand. According to Dr. A.P.J. Kalam, "By 2050, even if we use every available energy resource we have: clean and dirty, conventional and alternative, solar, wind, geothermal, nuclear, coal, oil, and gas, the world will fall short of the energy we need." He adds that, "There is an answer... an energy source that produces no carbon emissions, an energy source that can reach to most distant villages of the world, and an energy source that can turn both countries into net energy and technology exporters." (10/31)

*Can Solar Shield Protect The North American Power Grid*(Source: Space Daily) Every hundred years or so, a solar storm comes along so potent it fills the skies of Earth with blood-red auroras, makes compass needles point in the wrong direction, and sends electric currents coursing through the planet's topsoil. The most famous such storm, the Carrington Event of 1859, actually shocked telegraph operators and set some of their offices on fire. A 2008 report by the National Academy of Sciences warns that if such a storm occurred today, we could experience widespread power blackouts with permanent damage to many key transformers.

What's a utility operator to do? A new NASA project called "Solar Shield" could help keep the lights on. "Solar Shield is a new and experimental forecasting system for the North American power grid," explains project leader Antti Pulkkinen, a research associate working at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. "We believe we can zero in on specific transformers and predict which of them are going to be hit hardest by a space weather event." (10/26)

*DOD Space Fence Design Moves to Next Phase *(Source: USAF)

Electronic Systems Center officials released a request for proposal announcement Oct. 20, 2010, for the next phase of a program that will revamp the way space objects and debris are identified and tracked. The Space Fence program, with a total anticipated value of more than $3.5 billion, will deliver a system of geographically dispersed ground-based sensors to provide timely assessment of space events, said program manager Linda Haines. "That will allow us to reduce susceptibility to collision or attack, improve the space catalog accuracy and provide safety of flight," she said. (10/28)

*Military Space Leaders Discuss Operating in Resource-Constrained Environments* (Source: AFSC) A discussion panel consisting of the Honorable Peter Teets, the Honorable Keith R. Hall and retired Air Force Maj. Gen. Neil Beer, moderated by retired Air Force Col. Jack Anthony, focused on "The Future: Way ahead in a competitive, resource-constrained environment...lessons learned." Click here <http://www.afspc.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123228009>to read a rundown of their comments. (10/27)

*US Military Beats Disney as Happy Place to Work* (Source: Business News Daily) Disney owns the "Happiest Place on Earth," but it doesn't employ the happiest workers in the US, according to a new survey that identified the most "blissful places to work." The list reveals all four major branches of the military and the National Guard rank higher than Disney and other well-known companies, such as Microsoft and Johnson & Johnson.

Despite lengthy deployments and lower salaries, for example, the Army and National Guard ranked Nos. 1 and 2 in the career advancement category, beating out Google for the top spots. The military also ranked high in growth opportunity, benefits and job security. The Army ranked No. 11, ahead of Johnson & Johnson (16), Cisco Systems (21), General Electric (30), Microsoft (39) and Disney (41). (10/28)

*Western Australia to Host U.S. Defense Space Base* (Source: Xinhua)

Western Australia will host a new multimillion-dollar U.S. defense base to spy on foreign satellites and keep watch on dangerous space junk. U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates is poised to announce the space base when he visits Australia next week with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

As a major expansion of the U.S. military footprint in Australia, the paper said the base is likely to be built at the top secret Harold E Holt Naval communications station at Exmouth of Western Australia. The facility will allow Australia to become a key partner in the international battle for space supremacy. It will have major technology and intelligence spin-offs, putting Australia at the forefront of an emerging battle between nations staking claim for territory in space occupied by $588 billion of civil and military hardware, (10/30)

*An Overview of Past and Future South African Space Activities* (Source: SpaceRef.com) At the recent 61st International Astronautical Congress (IAC2010) in Prague, Dr. Peter Martinez, Chair of South Africa Council for Space Affairs, provided the first Highlight Lecture which covered historical, current, and future developments of space activities in South Africa. Dr. Martinez started by pointing out that it is generally not known that South Africa has been an active participant in the global space enterprise, and that it has supported space applications mostly from ground but also as an active user of the space environment. Click here <http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewnews.html?id=1458>to read the article. (10/26)

*Russia Ready to Discuss Training Ukrainian Astronauts* (Source: RIA Novosti) Russia is ready to consider training Ukrainian astronauts as soon as it gets an official request from Kiev, the head of Roscosmos said. "For the first time they [Ukrainian officials] raised the issue seriously. This requires serous and thorough preparations," Anatoly Perminov said. He said that the two neighbors have no agreements on the issue, adding that the possibility of taking Ukrainian astronauts to the Space Station should be agreed with all states, participating in the project. "Preparing a special agreement may take about a year," he added. (10/28)

*Ariane Rocket Completes Flawless Satellite Launch* (Source: BBC)

Europe's workhorse rocket, the Ariane 5, has placed another two commercial satellites in orbit. The vehicle lifted off from the Kourou spaceport in French Guiana, taking 38 minutes to complete its mission. The 8.2-tonne payload included the W3B spacecraft, which will provide TV, radio, internet and other data services for the Paris-based operator Eutelsat. Riding as a co-passenger was BSat-3b, a platform owned by Tokyo's B-Sat Corporation. (10/28)

*Eutelsat Loses Satellite After Ariane Launch* (Source: Business Week)

Eutelsat Communications stock price declined the most in almost two years in Paris trading after reporting the loss of its W3B satellite following "an anomaly" detected on the propulsion subsystem. The world's third-largest satellite company fell as much as 6.1 percent, the biggest intraday drop since Dec. 5, 2008, and traded 4 percent lower at 26.35 euros as of 1:38 p.m. Eutelsat will also immediately start a new satellite program, called W3D, to "compensate for this loss," for a planned launch in the first quarter of 2013. (10/29)

*Arianespace Expects Potential Growth in Asian Market* (Source: Xinhua)

Arianespace, the world's leading launch service company, said it looked forward to the future growth of satellite-launching business in the Asia-Pacific region. Arianespace expects the business in the region would cover about 40 percent of the company's business around the world in the future. Up to now, the satellite launching business in the Asia-Pacific region accounted for about one third of the total business of the company.

Arianespace opened a representative office in Tokyo in 1986, the company had supported the satellite industry in Asia for more than 20 years, covering about 70 percent of the regional launch market. Founded in 1980, Arianespace serves 76 customers representing 101 countries. As of Oct. 1, 2010, Arianespace had launched a total of 283 payloads, accounting for more than half of all the commercial satellites now in service worldwide. (10/27)

*France To Boost ESA Contribution Next Year* (Source: Space News)

The French government and the French space agency signed a new five-year budget contract that provides a 10.2 percent increase in France's spending at the European Space Agency (ESA) starting in 2011. The increase, which will bring the French contribution to the 18-nation ESA to $1.06 billion a year, is less than the 12.4 percent increase that CNES officials had been counting on until earlier this year. But the ministry said it would enable France to meet its commitments to its ESA partners for programs already agreed to, while also permitting France to pay off its debt to ESA by 2015. (10/27)

*'Exorbitant' Price Talk for Galileo* (Source: Space Daily)

A top European official slapped down reports on Tuesday that the much-delayed Galileo satellite navigation system could be 20 billion euros over budget, as he named a new contractor for the project. A German government report said that the overall cost of the project, aimed to rival the US-built Global Positioning System (GPS), could rise to 22.2 billion euros.

European Industry Commissioner Antonio Tajani rejected the figure as "exorbitant" and "unimagineable", while insisting that the price tag for the system remained at 3.4 billion euros (4.7 billion dollars). "I don't know where these figures come from," Tajani told a news conference, adding that any budget overruns would be calculated after all contracts for the projected are awarded.

The European Commission official announced that SpaceOpal, a joint venture between German firm DLR and Italy's Telespazio, had won a 194-million-euro contract for the operations of the ground and space infrastructure. It was the fourth contract awarded in the project. The last two contracts will be decided early next year, Tajani said. (10/26)

*Clash May Be Brewing Over Galileo Funding Woes* (Source: Space News)

Europe's Galileo satellite navigation system, now confronting the financial trouble its backers have known was coming for two years, might need to be labeled "too big to fail" in the manner of the U.S financial institutions that were saved from ruin by government cash, a European parliamentarian official said. The program has repeatedly been on shaky financial ground, and at one point was saved by an unusual --- and still-debated --- maneuver that included using surplus agricultural-support funds to cover Galileo's most-urgent needs.

Galileo is intended as a constellation of 30 satellites in medium Earth orbit to provide positioning, navigation and timing services worldwide, similar to what the U.S. GPS system does today. To date only 14 Galileo satellites are under contract, along with four more test vehicles that are so late --- launches are scheduled in mid- and late-2011 --- that they now might be incorporated into the operational network. The program has yet to secure funding to launch four of these 18 satellites, and money to field the rest of the constellation is, for the moment, nowhere to be found.

Similarly, the full ground network has yet to be built because of financial constraints. The European Commission wants the first 18 spacecraft, which will provide a rudimentary service but nothing like what was promised, in orbit in 2014. The remaining satellites will be launched as funds are made available. But the current financial crisis has caused some European government officials to consider once-heretical ideas including seeking a non-European rocket to launch the satellites, and making do with a constellation of perhaps 24 satellites. (10/27)

*NASA's "A-Train" Expands Earth Science* (Source: NASA)

The "A-Train" formation of satellites ---- which currently includes Aqua, CloudSat, Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations (CALIPSO) and Aura satellites ---- barrels across the equator each day at around 1:30 p.m. local time each afternoon, giving the constellation its name; the "A" stands for "afternoon." Together, these four satellites contain 15 separate scientific instruments that observe the same path of Earth's atmosphere and surface at a broad swath of wavelengths.

At the front of the train, Aqua carries instruments that produce measurements of temperature, water vapor, and rainfall. CloudSat, a cooperative effort between NASA and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), and CALIPSO, a joint effort of the French space agency and NASA, have high-tech laser and radar instruments that offer three-dimensional views of clouds and airborne particles called aerosols. And the caboose, Aura, has a suite of instruments that produce high-resolution vertical maps of greenhouse gases, among many other atmospheric constituents.

In coming months, the A-Train will expand with the launch of NASA's aerosol-sensing Glory satellite and the carbon-tracking Orbiting Carbon Observatory 2 (OCO-2) satellite. In 2010, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) plans to launch the Global Change Observation Mission-Water (GCOM-W1), which will monitor ocean circulation. Meanwhile, a fifth satellite, France's Polarization and Anistropy of Reflectances for Atmospheric Science coupled with Observations from a Lidar (PARASOL), which studies aerosols, is easing out of an A-Train orbit as its fuel supplies dwindles. (10/27)

*NASA Spacecraft to Get Historically Close View of Comet Next Week* (Source: AIA) NASA says its Deep Impact spacecraft will make a historic close encounter when it comes within 435 miles of the comet Hartley 2 next week. The fly-by will take place Nov. 4, and it is part of a NASA effort to learn more about the formation of the solar system through the study of comets. (10/27)

*Icy Red Objects at Solar System's Edge May Point to Life's Building Blocks* (Source: Space.com) The reddish hue of many objects in our solar system's frigid outer reaches may be evidence of complex organic molecules, perhaps even the building blocks of life, new research suggests. Scientists have come up with a computer model to explain the many colors --- the reds, whites and blues--- found in the Kuiper Belt, the swath of icy bodies circling the sun with Pluto. The model suggests that Kuiper Belt objects have many layers, and that the reds could come from organic materials in a layer near the surface. If the model is correct, it would support current theories that organic materials might be common in the universe, researchers said. (10/29)

*No Lack of Exo-Earths Out There* (Source: Science)

A new study estimates that in the coming months, NASA's Kepler planet-hunter should find a few hundred Earth-sized exoplanets orbiting uncomfortably close to their stars. As many or more should turn up in the next year or two, farther from their stars where life could thrive. To get a handle on the challenge, astronomers at the University of California, Berkeley, selected 166 stars similar to the sun and within 80 light-years of Earth, though not Kepler targets. For 5 years, they monitored the frequency of light from those stars for signs that orbiting planets.

the group predicted that 23% of sunlike stars have Earth-sized planets in close orbits. Applying these statistics to Kepler's search, the group estimates that Kepler will find 120 to 260 planets orbiting close in to sunlike stars. Although the new survey strictly applies only to close-in and therefore lethally hot exoplanets, Earth-sized bodies probably also abound at orbital distances where life would be comfortable, says Boss. "Earth-like planets are probably going to be common," he says. "Kepler will give us that number." (10/28)

*Surprise Discovery: Two Planets, Two Stars, One System* (Source: Space.com)

Two massive Jupiter-like planets were recently discovered orbiting around two extremely close sister stars -- an unexpected find, given the disturbing gravitational effects within most binary star systems that usually disrupt planets from forming. The alien planets were found to orbit around the binary star system NN Serpentis, which is located about 1,670 light-years from Earth. The more massive of the two stars is a very small white dwarf -- the burnt-out remnant that is left over when a sun-like star dies. The star is 2.3 times the diameter of Earth, but has a temperature of more than 89,500 degrees Fahrenheit (49,700 degrees Celsius) -- almost nine times hotter than the surface of the sun. (10/26)

*Neutron Star Packs Two Suns' Mass in London-Sized Space* (Source: BBC)

Astronomers have discovered what they say is the mightiest neutron star yet. The super-dense object, which lies some 3,000 light-years from Earth, is about twice as massive as our Sun. That is 20% greater than the previous record holder. Like all neutron stars, the object's matter is packed into an incredibly small space probably no bigger than the center of a big city like London. (10/28)

*Has Dark Matter Finally Been Seen? Time Will Tell* (Source: Space.com)

In a new finding that could have game-changing effects if borne out, two astrophysicists think they've finally tracked down the elusive signature of dark matter. This invisible substance is thought to make up much of the universe --- but scientists have little idea what it is. They can only infer the existence of dark matter by measuring its gravitational tug on the normal matter that they can see. Now, after sifting through observations of the center of our Milky Way galaxy, two researchers think they've found evidence of the annihilation of dark matter particles in powerful explosions. (10/27)

*Hawaiian Astronomer Wins Planetary Sciences Award* (Source: University of Hawaii) The Division for Planetary Sciences of the American Astronomical Society conferred the 2010 Harold Masursky Award on Alan Tokunaga, a Maui-born astronomer with the UH Ma-noa Institute for Astronomy, for his outstanding service to planetary science and exploration. Tokunaga has served as director of the NASA Infrared Telescope Facility on Mauna Kea since 2000, the longest term in the history of that observatory. According to the award citation, he "has played an indispensable role in the growth of ground-based infrared astronomy of the solar system, and in furthering planetary science as a whole." (10/26)

*New AIAA Guide to Reference and Atmosphere Models* (Source: AIAA)

This standard provides guidelines for selected reference and standard atmospheric models for use in engineering design or scientific research. It describes the content of the models, uncertainties and limitations, technical basis, databases from which the models are formed, publication references, and sources of computer code where available for over 70 Earth and planetary atmospheric models, for altitudes from surface to 4000 kilometers. It is intended to assist aircraft and space vehicle designers and developers, geophysicists, meteorologists, and climatologists in understanding available models, comparing sources of data, and interpreting engineering and scientific results. Visit http://www.aiaa.org/to download a copy. (10/26)

*Obama Welcomes Chilean Mine Rescue Heroes* (Source: Washington Post)

President Barack Obama welcomed some of the heroes of the Chilean mine rescue to the White House on Thursday. He met with some of the Americans involved in the rescue of 33 miners earlier this month. The rescuers were recruited from NASA and several U.S. businesses. (10/28)

*Teen Sailor Lost at Sea Meets NASA Rescuers* (Source: Space.com)

Lost and alone in the middle of the Indian Ocean during a furious storm, things were looking bleak for 16-year-old Abby Sunderland. Sunderland was on a mission to be the youngest person to sail the world solo and nonstop, a record previously held by her older brother Zac. But her 40-foot (12-meter)-long vessel, Wild Eyes, was damaged in the storm, leaving her stranded in the middle of the Indian Ocean. Sunderland activated her emergency signaling devices and NASA's Search and Rescue Satellite-Aided Tracking (SARSAT) system pinpointed her exact location in less than an hour during the aggressive storm. She was rescued two days later. (10/27)

*Sponsorship Opportunities Open for Space Beer Flight* (Source: Parabolic Arc) For a limited time, Astronauts4Hire is offering a Sponsorship Special leading up to its inaugural mission testing the world's first beer brewed specifically for drinking in space. During this promotion, sponsors contributing $1,000 or more will receive a shoulder logo on the flight suit worn by the Astronaut4Hire researcher during the historic flight. Sponsors of $5,000 or more will receive a logo on the chest of the flight suit and mention in all future press releases regarding the flight. With the high level of media attention expected, sponsors will gain extensive exposure to national and international audiences.

During the planned November 19, 2010 flight aboard Zero Gravity Corporation's specially modified aircraft, the Astronauts4Hire flight researcher will sample the specially produced beer during periods of weightlessness and record biometric and qualitative data related to the beer's drinkability. The Vostok Space Beer, produced as a joint venture between Saber Astronautics Australia and the 4-Pines Brewing Company, is a recipe designed to meet anticipated demand from the budding space tourism market while still being popular here on Earth. (10/26)

*Pratt & Whitney, Union Begin Negotiations* (Source: AIA)

Negotiations for a new three-year contract between Connecticut-based Pratt & Whitney and its International Association of Machinists union kicked off Tuesday. And if the recent past is any indicator, there could be plenty of turbulence dead ahead. A possible heated point of contention: union concessions involving job security provisions. (10/26)

*SES To Cover North America Using Fewer Slots* (Source: Space News)

Satellite fleet operator SES on Oct. 27 said its business in emerging markets is growing as fast as hoped but that the mediocre long-term prospects in North America will lead to shutting down a few occupied orbital positions in the coming years. Luxembourg-based SES, which has 11 fully owned satellites under construction and is leasing capacity on a spacecraft being built for another operator, reiterated its forecast of 5 percent average annual revenue growth between 2010 and 2012. (10/28)

*Turksat Nearing Award of Two-Satellite Contract* (Source: Space News)

Turkey's Turksat satellite fleet operator has received best-and-final offers from bidders vying to manufacture the Turksat 4A and Turksat 4B telecommunications satellites in a competition that does not include the company that has built most of the previous Turksat spacecraft, according to industry officials. Thales Alenia Space is sitting out this contest for reasons that remain unclear.

Turksat is already behind its stated schedule of announcing a winner in time to have the satellites in orbit in 2012, but it has received bids from Mitsubishi Electric Corp. (Melco) of Japan, Lockheed Martin Space Systems of the United States and a team proposing a satellite platform built by Orbital Sciences of the United States with a payload built by Astrium of Europe, officials said. (10/28)

*United Launch Alliance Announces Credit Accord* (Source: Denver Post)

United Launch Alliance has announced a syndication of a new $400 million, three-year senior unsecured revolving credit agreement. Officials of the Centennial-based satellite-launch company said the agreement will provide more flexibility for service and capitalize on industry trends. The transaction announced Wednesday was led by U.S. Bank joined by BNP Paribas and Wells Fargo. (10/28)

*Hughes Borrows $115M To Launch Jupiter Broadband Satellite* (Source: Space News) Broadband satellite services and hardware provider Hughes Communications has secured a $115 million loan from two French banks to finance the launch of Hughes' Jupiter all-Ka-band broadband satellite aboard a European Ariane 5 rocket in early 2012, Hughes announced Oct. 29. The financial package with BNP Paribas and Societe Generale is guaranteed by the French export-credit agency, Coface. Hughes said closing conditions for the loan will be completed shortly. (10/30)

*Iridium Concludes Financing for Iridium NEXT* (Source: Nasdaq)

Iridium Communications has successfully closed the financing facility for its next generation satellite constellation, Iridium NEXT. The facility is provided by a syndicate of nine banks led by Deutsche Bank AG, Banco Santander SA, Societe Generale, Natixis and Mediobanca International S.A., and includes BNP Paribas, Credit Industriel et Commercial, Intesa Sanpaolo S.p.A. and Unicredit Bank Austria AG. They will provide up to $1.8 billion of financing to Iridium for the design and manufacture of Iridium NEXT satellites. (10/30)

*Raytheon Reports Third Quarter Results* (Source: Raytheon)

Raytheon announced third quarter 2010 net sales of $6.3 billion, compared to $6.2 billion in the third quarter 2009. Operating cash flow from continuing operations reached $413 million, compared to $749 million in the third quarter 2009. (10/28)

*Raytheon, L-3 Communications Post Healthy Q3 Profits* (Source: AIA)

Raytheon and L-3 Communications Holdings reported third-quarter profits that were higher than expected. Both companies said they had positive outlooks, with sales in 2011 expected to outpace those of 2010, but mounting budget pressures in the U.S. and Europe will likely lead to defense spending cuts and tougher times for defense companies. (10/29)

*General Dynamics Third-Quarter Earnings Rise* (Source: AP)

General Dynamics says its third-quarter earnings rose 14 percent on strengthening sales for its business jets, military and commercial ships and technology support systems. The defense contractor also raised its forecast for the year. The company earned $650 million, compared with year-ago earnings of $572 million. Revenue rose 4 percent to $8 billion. (10/27)

*Northrop Grumman Reports Third Quarter 2010 Financial Results* (Source: Northrop Grumman) Northrop Grumman's third quarter 2010 earnings increased to $489 million, from $464 million in the third quarter of 2009. Net earnings for the 2010 third quarter increased to $497 million, from $490 million in the prior year period. Third quarter 2010 sales increased 4 percent to $8.7 billion from $8.35 billion. (10/27)

*International Demand Helps Boost Harris Corp. Q1 Profit* (Source: AIA)

Communications equipment maker Harris Corp. says strong international demand for its tactical radios for combat troops helped boost the company's first quarter profit and improve its full-year forecast. The company reported earnings of $163.9 million, compared with $104.5 million for the same quarter a year ago. (10/26)

*Macdonald Dettwiler Profit Rises 34 Percent* (Source: Reuters)

Canadian satellite and data distribution company Macdonald Dettwiler and Associates (MDA) experienced a net profit jump of 34 percent in the third quarter. MDA made C$38.3 million ($37.2 million) on revenue of C$263 million in the three months to Sept. 30. That compared with a net profit of C$28.5 million on revenue of C$245.6 million in the same period a year earlier. (10/27)

*California**Aerospace Events Calendar***

*Star Trek Themed Astronomy Lecture in Torrance on Nov. 6*

Okay Star Trek fans, come to the Katy Geissert Library in Torrance at 2:00 pm on Nov. 6 --- with or without costume --- and learn from Dr. Seth Shostak about his search for life on other planets. Dr. Shostak is senior astronomer at the SETI Institute in Mountain View, California and author of Confessions of an Alien Hunter: A Scientist's Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence. Visit http://www.Library.TorranceCA.Gov

*JPL Official Speaks at El Camino College I&T Event on Nov. 11*

JPL Deputy Manager Randii Wesson will speak at El Camino College in Torrance on Nov. 11. The college's Industry and Technology Advisory Committees will meet at 5:00 p.m. Registration deadline is Nov. 9. Contact jjones@xxxxxxxxxxxx to RSVP.

*GameChangers Fall 2010 Conference in Pleasanton on Nov. 16-17*

We have several slots available for presenting companies seeking capital. On November 16-17, over 50 funders (angels, VCs, corporate investors, alternative lenders) representing over $10B in committed capital are looking for deals -- they'll be participating in the statewide Game Changers Fall 2010 conference andat the beautiful Casa Real venue in Pleasanton. The conference features ten exciting keynote speakers, statewide awards from the Governor's Office of Economic Development and U.S. Congressman John Garamendi, and lots of networking! Visit http://www.grow-california.com/

*Astronomer to Discuss Search for Earth-Like Planets on at UCSC on Nov. 17*

Greg Laughlin, a professor of astronomy and astrophysics at UC Santa Cruz, will take the audience on a guided tour of the bizarre menagerie of planets that have been discovered outside our solar system, in a free public lecture on Nov. 17, at 7 p.m. For more information about this lecture, call (831) 459-2844.

*AFA 2010 Global Warfare Symposium Planned in Beverly Hills on Nov. 18-19*

On Nov. 18-19 at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, this annual symposium will focus on the global role of the Air Force in the world today and will cover topics ranging from the nuclear enterprise, cyberspace, expeditionary forces and space. For a full agenda visit: http://www.afa.org/events/NatlSymp/2010/GWS2010_Agenda.asp. Visit https://registration.afa.org/reg/la2010reghome.aspx to register.

*SpaceUp "Unconference" Planned in San Diego on Feb. 27-28*

SpaceUp is a space unconference, where participants decide the topics, schedule, and structure of the event. Everyone who attends SpaceUp is encouraged to give a talk, moderate a panel, or start a discussion. Sessions are proposed and scheduled on the day they're given, which means the usual "hallway conversations" turn into full-fledged topics. Visit http://spaceup.org/sandiego/

*RS2011- Reinventing Space 2011 at LAX - May 2-5 *

This year the Responsive Space Conference has become the Reinventing Space Conference in order to put a renewed emphasis on the importance of reducing cost. Most of the people working in Responsive Space have also wanted to create much lower cost space missions. At RS3, Dr. Pete Rustan urged the community to use Responsive Space developments and advancements as a means of reducing the cost of larger, more traditional space systems. The current economic crisis makes that need even more critical if we are to meet the ambitious goals of the American space program. If a solution to the prohibitively high cost of space is not found, then the shortfall in future years will require major cuts in space activity. We are already starting to see that occur. It's a problem that must be addressed and addressed quickly. Our goal for RS 2011 is to try to help. A classified session (DoD Secret) will also be held on May 6, 2011. For additional information view http://www.ResponsiveSpace.com <http://www.responsivespace.com/>

*Mark your calendars! The week of March 28, 2011, will be Space Week in Washington, D.C.* CSA and its members will meet with Congressional members and staff to discuss issues of vital importance to CA space enterprise. In addition, there will be private meetings with key executive branch officials representing the White House, NASA, the Air Force, Department of State, DARPA, Department of Commerce and the Department of Transportation. Additional details will be available soon!

**
*Last Week's DOD Contract Awards in California*

*Raytheon Co., Integrated Defense Systems, San Diego, Calif., is being awarded a $7,122,028 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for the procurement of long-lead-time materials in support of LPD 26 integrated shipboard electronics.Work will be performed in San Diego, Calif., and is expected to be completed by March 2012.Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year.This contract was not competitively procured.The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity.*

*Airborne Tactical Advantage Co*., LLC, Newport News, Va., is being awarded a $45,183,480 modification to a previously awarded indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract (N00019-09-D-0021) for services in support of the commercial air services program, which provides contractor owned and operated Type III high subsonic and Type IV supersonic aircraft to Navy fleet customers for a wide variety of airborne threat simulation capabilities.This provides for training shipboard and aircraft squadron weapon systems operators and aircrew how to counter potential enemy electronic warfare and electronic attack operations in today's electronic combat environment.Work will be performed in Newport News, Va. (45 percent), *Pt. Mugu, Calif*. (35 percent), and various locations outside the continental United States (20 percent).Work is expected to be completed in October 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.

*Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems - Marine Systems, Sunnyvale, Calif*., is being awarded a $50,411,925 firm-fixed-price, cost-plus-fixed-fee, cost-plus-incentive-fee contract for United States/United Kingdom fiscal 2011 underwater launcher system support.This contract contains options which, if exercised, will bring the total contract amount to $63,102,296.Work will be performed in *Sunnyvale, Calif*. (82 percent); Bangor, Wash. (8 percent); Kings Bay, Ga. (8 percent); Bremerton, Wash. (1 percent); and Norfolk, Va. (1 percent).Work is expected to be completed Aug. 31, 2013.Contract funds in the amount of $46,293,697 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year.This contract was not competitively procured.Navy Strategic Systems Programs, Arlington, Va., is the contracting activity.

*General Dynamics Information Technology*, Needham, Mass., is being awarded $9,387,789 for firm-fixed-price task order MU30 under previously awarded Air Force network-centric solutions contract (FA8771-04-D-0007) for dense wave division multiplexing transport networks.Work will be performed at *Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Calif*. (48 percent); Marine Corps Base Camp LeJuene, N.C. (44 percent); and *Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego, Calif*. (8 percent).Work is expected to be completed June 27, 2011.Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year.Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year.This contract was competitively procured, with eight firms solicited and five offers received.The Marine Corps Systems Command, Camp Pendleton, Calif., is the contracting activity.

*Naval Industrial Services Support*, JV*, Anchorage, Alaska, is being awarded $6,964,657 task order #0011 under previously awarded firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract (N62473-08-D-0504) for sewer inspection and repair at San Diego metropolitan naval bases.The work to be performed provides for, but is not limited to:management, supervision, tools, materials, supplies and labor.The maximum dollar value, including the base period and two option years, is $21,530,618.Work will be performed in *San Diego, Calif*., and is expected to be completed by October 2013.Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year.Four proposals were received for this task order.The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Southwest, San Diego, Calif., is the contracting activity.

Compiled for the California Space Authority by Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University <http://www.erau.edu/>, Edward Ellegood <mailto:edward.ellegood@xxxxxxxx?subject=SpotBeam%20California>

--
Dianna Minor, Executive Assistant
California Space Authority
3201 Airpark Dr., Suite 204
Santa Maria, CA 93455
805-349-2633
http://www.CaliforniaSpaceAuthority.org/

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