Gregg Easterbrook takes issue with NASA’s “Who, us?” attitude toward protecting the Earth against errant asteroids in a piece titled, “The Sky is Falling,” in The Atlantic. “The odds that a potentially devastating space rock will hit Earth this century may be as high as one in 10. So why isn’t NASA trying harder to prevent catastrophe?” Easterbook’s answer? NASA is obsessed with putting humans on the moon.
A Russian Progress vehicle was launched from Kazakhstan on Wednesday with fresh supplies for astronauts aboard the International Space Station. And what will the fastest men alive be receiving in additional to their regular shipment of clothes, oxygen and fuel? Snails. Ninety of them. (No, they’re not going to eat them; it’s all part of a biology experiment. Really.)
In other news, SpaceX’s Elon Musk is saying that he could launch astronauts to ISS aboard his Dragon spacecraft by 2011 if NASA gives the OK to develop a human-rated version of the vehicle this summer. This date is at least two years (or four or five) before NASA would be able to launch its Orion vehicle.
This is an ambitious goal given that SpaceX has yet to successfully launch anything into space. It failed in both attempts to launch its small Falcon I rocket; a third attempt is scheduled for next month. Dragon will be launched atop the company’s larger Falcon 9 rocket, which has yet to fly.
The Russian space agency Roskosmos said on Wednesday that it will be teaming with the European Space Agency to build a new spacecraft capable of carrying up to six astronauts to low Earth orbit and the moon. Reuters reports that test flights of the winged vehicle would begin in 2015, with the first human mission three years later.
European officials confirmed that such a plan was being considered, but said that nothing had been decided yet. ESA’s space ministers will meet late this year at The Hague to map out the agency’s future direction.
“This is factually correct in the sense that indeed this is the outline of the system,” ESA spokesman Franco Bonacina told Reuters. “But we haven’t decided upon anything yet. … It’s too premature. It’s still at the level of studies. In November, at a ministerial meeting, it’s not taken for granted this option will be the one that finally takes shape.”
There are several plans being considered in Europe, including building a human-rated capsule for use on ESA’s Automated Transfer Vehicle, which currently is used to ferry supplies to the International Space Station.
EADS Astrium and the German Space Agency (DLR) have proposed modifying Europe’s Automated Transfer Vehicle to carry three astronauts into orbit, the BBC reports.
“The ATV, which ferried just under five tonnes of supplies to the orbiting platform in April, is packed with sophisticated navigation, rendezvous and docking technologies. It also has a pressurised section that is ‘human rated’ in the sense that, once docked to the 340km-high station, astronauts can move around inside it safely in just T-shirts.
“But the ATV was not built with the intention of transporting humans across space, and a fit-for-purpose capsule would have to be developed to take the place of the current cargo section.”
If the project is approved, EADS and DLR officials believe they could conduct test flight beginning in 2013, with human flights coming four or five years later. The project will likely be considered by European space ministers at a meeting in November.
MICROSOFT PRESS RELEASE
REDMOND, Wash. — May 12, 2008 — The final frontier got a bit closer today as Microsoft Corp. officially launched the public beta of its WorldWide Telescope, which is now available at http://www.worldwidetelescope.org.
WorldWide Telescope is a rich Web application that brings together imagery from the best ground- and space-based observatories across the world to allow people to easily explore the night sky through their computers. WorldWide Telescope has been eagerly anticipated by the astronomical and educational communities as a compelling astronomical resource for students and lifelong learners, and as a way to make science fun for children.
“The WorldWide Telescope is a powerful tool for science and education that makes it possible for everyone to explore the universe,” said Bill Gates, chairman of Microsoft. “By combining terabytes of incredible imagery and data with easy-to-use software for viewing and moving through all that information, the WorldWide Telescope opens the door to new ways to see and experience the wonders of space. Our hope is that it will inspire young people to explore astronomy and science, and help researchers in their quest to better understand the universe.”
Continue reading ‘Microsoft Launches WorldWide Telescope’
Florida Today has a roundup of what the Florida Legislature has done during its current term to attract and keep aerospace companies. These measures include:
- $14.5 million to upgrade a launch complex for commercial flights;
- $1.25 million for space workforce retention and training programs;
- tax refunds for companies that retain workers; and,
- a measure limiting the liability of space tourism companies.
Ironically, the Legislature passed a budget that severely cuts funding for Space Florida, the organization that develops and promotes the state’s aerospace industry. Space Florida will receive $4 million this year, a reduction from its current $7 million budget. Gov. Charlie Crist had requested an increase to $8.5 million.
The cutback was apparently part of a general belt tightening effort in the midst of an economic downturn. A spokeswoman said Space Florida would cut back on trade shows and other promotional activities but does not anticipate any staff cutbacks.
Florida Today also reports that Space Florida is in negotiations with the U.S. Air Force over the use of Launch Complex 36, a deactivated Atlas rocket launch facility at the Cape Canaveral Air Station. The story does not indicate how the state would use the complex, but it could be related to efforts by Florida to lure Orbital Sciences Corporation to the state. The company is expected to make a decision soon on whether it will launch its new NASA-funded rocket from Virginia or Florida.
BIGELOW AEROSPACE PRESS RELEASE
Las Vegas, NV - Genesis I, the first test module launched by commercial space habitat developer Bigelow Aerospace, has completed its 10,000th orbit around the Earth. The unmanned module is about to start its third year in space since it ushered in a new era of private space development following its July 12, 2006 launch.
Since it was lifted into orbit, Genesis I has continued to perform its main mission to test and verify systems to be used in future manned space habitats. A one-third scale model of the future BA 330 space complex modules, Genesis I performed the first successful test of expandable space habitat technology in orbit.
In its 660 days in orbit, Genesis I has traveled the equivalent of more than 270 million miles, which would take it to the Moon and back 1,154 times.
Continue reading ‘Genesis I Turns 10,000 (Orbits)’
Jeff Foust has published a new edition of The Space Review. Highlights include:
- Part II of Taylor Dinerman’s look at the reusable launch vehicle industry (if you missed it, here’s Part I);
- Eric R. Hedman says space advocates need to stress long-term benefits in selling NASA’s lunar plans to reluctant politicians in “Why the Moon?“;
- Jeff Brooks explains why Congressional Democrats from Massachusetts don’t follow in the footsteps of John F. Kennedy when it comes to space;
- Jeff Foust looks at orbiting propellant depots, whose time he believes is not too far off.
In an odd bit of timing, scientists are asking the public for help with finding a polar lander that disappeared at Mars eight years ago just as NASA is attempting to land a similar spacecraft on the planet’s pole.
Scientists at the University of Arizona have released high-resolution images of the landing area where the Mars Polar Lander was to have touched down on December 3, 1999. NASA lost contact with the spacecraft after it entered the atmosphere; officials believe the lander smashed into the planet at high speed because of a design flaw in its landing system.
The loss of the spacecraft was the low-point of NASA’s otherwise highly successful effort to explore the Red Planet. Ten weeks earlier, the agency had lost the Mars Climate Orbiter as it was attempting a tricky aerobraking maneuver in the planet’s upper atmosphere. Investigators found that both metric and Imperial units were used in control software, causing the orbiter to burn up in the atmosphere.
The search for the missing lander comes as NASA is preparing to place its Mars Phoenix Lander at the north pole on May 25. The spacecraft, which was proposed by the University of Arizona, makes use of several backup instruments built for the ill-fated Mars Polar Lander program. The main lander was originally built for a 2001 mission that NASA canceled in the wake of its twin failures in 1999.
The Financial Express has an interesting Q&A with Indian Space Research Organisation Chairman G. Madhavan Nair, in which he discusses India’s plans to explore the moon and to grab a piece of the global satellite launch market.
The Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) made history on April 28 by placing a record ten satellites in their respective orbits in a single launch. It was a day in the sun for Indian space science and Isro chairman G Madhavan Nair, who says the mission launcher—the polar satellite launch vehicle (PSLV)—has now found a place in the global market. With his focus firmly on the upcoming Moon mission, Chandrayaan, slated for the year-end, Nair is aiming for a 10% slice of the $2-billion global launch business.
The Canadian government has reaffirmed its rejection of MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates plans to sell its space division to American defense contractor Alliant Technosystems (ATK).
Ottawa rejected the $1.3 billion sale last month as not being of net benefit to Canada. MDA had 30 days to convince Industry Minister Jim Prentice to reverse the decision. That period expired on Thursday.
Prentice did announce a four-year, $109-million contract between the Canadian Space Agency and MDA. However, company officials said this was merely a renewal of a long-standing contract that did nothing to provide direction to a drifting Canadian space program, the Vancouver Sun reported.
“The space file in Canada has been neglected for quite a while,” said Mag Iskander, MDA’s executive vice-president for information systems. “In real terms, government expenditures in this space have been declining. We are hoping with this new resurgence of interest by the minister and the government they will engage in a serious long-term space plan, similar to what we had in the past.
“I am not talking about handouts. I’m talking about contracts that meet the needs of Canadians,” Iskander said.