ESA’s Rosetta to Rendezvous with Asteroid Steins

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ESA MISSION UPDATE

ESA’s Rosetta spacecraft will make a historic encounter with asteroid (2867) Steins on 5 September 2008. The doors of ESA’s European Space Operations Centre (ESOC) in Darmstadt, Germany, will be open to the media as of 18:00 on 5 September to follow the fly-by events.

First images and results will be available for presentation to the media during a press conference which will be held at ESOC the following day, Saturday 6 September at 12:00 CEST.

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Canada Announces More Arctic Oil Exploration as Huge Ice Sheet Falls into Sea; U.S. Presidential Race Sinks into Muck

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The Associated Press is reporting that a large ice shelf almost the size of Manhattan plunged into the Arctic Ocean last month in yet another sign of warming global temperatures. The 19-square-mile Markham Ice Shelf is now adrift off Canada’s northern coast. Over the summer, the Arctic lost 82-square miles of ice cover, an area three times the size of Manhattan.

“The loss of these ice shelves means that rare ecosystems that depend on them are on the brink of extinction, said Warwick Vincent, director of Laval University’s Centre for Northern Studies and a researcher in the program ArcticNet.

“‘The Markham Ice Shelf had half the biomass for the entire Canadian Arctic Ice Shelf ecosystem as a habitat for cold, tolerant microbial life; algae that sit on top of the ice shelf and photosynthesis like plants would. Now that it’s disappeared, we’re looking at ecosystems on the verge of distinction,’ said Muller.”

Yikes! This can’t be good. Or can it?

It is, if you are Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

Continue reading ‘Canada Announces More Arctic Oil Exploration as Huge Ice Sheet Falls into Sea; U.S. Presidential Race Sinks into Muck’

Galactic Suite: 38 Reservations for Orbital Hotel

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Doug
on September 3, 2008
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GALACTIC SUITE PRESS RELEASE

(Barcelona. August 2008) — The Space Tourism Company Galactic Suite already has 38 reservations made by tourists who in 2012 will travel to the hotel to spend four days at 450 kilometres from the Earth. The trip, which  will cost 3 million euros, also includes 18 weeks of preparation for the tourists to acquire experience in  space. This preparation will take place on an island in the Caribbean, where the participants can travel with their families.

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Opinion: Japan, Britain and North Carolina Need Clear Directions in Space

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A Real Ministry of Space
The Space Review

“The common perception of Britain when it comes to space is one of apathy. Andrew Weston argues that there is considerable public interest in space in the UK, waiting to be harnessed by the British government in the form of a coherent policy.”

Govt vision on space must be clear, concise
The Yomiuri Shimbun

“The basic law on space came into effect late last month, finally providing a system that allows the nation’s political leaders to promote Japan’s space policy.

“Space development involves a huge amount of money and considerable risks. It is important, therefore, for concrete goals and schedules to be fully disclosed in the basic program.

“If the government fails to provide the whole picture of the program, including its planned investments, private companies will hesitate to participate in it.”

Up, Up and Away, Triangle
The News & Observer

NewSpace Consultant Jeff Krukin suggests that North Carolina’s Research Triangle could be a hotbed of space tourism activity if government, industry and universities work together.

“The key is treating space transportation the same way we treat terrestrial transportation — vehicles are developed, owned and operated by competing companies. Governments provide the regulatory framework, conduct basic technology research and development and become a consumer of the resulting products and services.”

BransonWatch: Shuttle Doc, Indian TV Host and Elegant Resorts

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OSU grad still aims for space
Stillwater News-Press

“Dr. Richard T. Jennings refers to himself as a two-time loser in NASA’s selection of astronauts….But he is convinced he will get a chance to visit space, and it will be at least partially because of the work he has done.

“Jennings is a consultant for Virgin Galactic, which is planning private sub-orbital flights, and works with Space Adventures, which plans to send Richard Garriott to the International Space Station in the fall. Garriott is a legendary video game designer and the son of Enid native Owen Garriott, an astronaut.”

Space tourist to start journey within six to 18 months
The Hindu Business Line

“If all goes well, Santhosh George Kulangara, the country’s first non-professional astronaut, will start his journey into space within six to 18 months in the inaugural flight of Virgin Galactic, the world’s first private spaceline. Kulangara, a 36-year-old businessman hailing from Pala here, has successfully completed his second phase of training for space tourists at the National Aero-space Training and Research Centre at Southampton in Pensylvannia, US, recently.”

Elegant Resorts Partner With Virgin Galactic to Make Space Travel a Reality
PR Newsire

Space travel will become reality for people from all walks of life when Virgin Galactic launches its public flights into space. Elegant Resorts are the only company appointed by Virgin Galactic to sell this unique experience in the UK, Russia and CIS.

Justine Pitt, Product Manager at Elegant Resorts, commented: “We have already experienced some amazing firsts with Virgin Galactic since our appointment last July, enabling us to give our clients first-hand knowledge of the whole Virgin Galactic Experience — including a simulated trip into space in the NASTAR Center’s Space Training Centrifugal Simulator where we achieved G-forces upwards of 3G’s, a private unveiling of the spacecraft models in New York back in January with Richard Branson and Burt Rutan, and now the unveiling of EVE.”

Continue reading ‘BransonWatch: Shuttle Doc, Indian TV Host and Elegant Resorts’

Jacksonville Moves Ahead with Space Tourism Plans

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Doug
on September 2, 2008
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The Jacksonville Airport Authority is moving ahead with plans to designate Cecil Field as a spaceport to host suborbital flights. JAA expects to received approval for the move from the Federal Aviation Administration by February 2009, the Jacksonville Business Journal reports.

“Although the final application was turned in Aug. 15, interim drafts have already been approved. Once the operators receive FAA approval to fly out of Cecil, the first launch could be as early as spring 2010,” the journal reports.

Cecil Field is a civilian-military airport that sits on the location of a Naval Air Station that was closed in 1999. The airfield features:

  • Four runways: one at 12,500 feet and three at 8,000 feet
  • 537,000 square yards of apron
  • Eight hangars
  • 175 major buildings totaling 2.9 million square feet.
  • Over 425,000 square feet of warehouse, industrial and general-use space
  • 225,000 square feet of general office and support facilities

The airport hosts the Florida Army National Guard and the U.S. Coast Guard’s Helicopter Interdiction Tactical Squadron (HITRON). Boeing, Northrop Grumman and other major aerospace companies are located at the facility, where they provide maintenance and overhaul services for U.S. military aircraft.

Shuttle Veteran Named New Chief of Canadian Space Agency

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Canada has selected two-time space shuttle veteran Steve MacLean to serve as president of the Canadian Space Agency. He replaces Guy Bujold, who has headed up the agency on an interim basis since January.

MacLean currently serves as CSA’s Chief Astronaut, coordinating activities for the space agency’s small astronaut corps. The agency is currently reviewing 5,000 applications to fill two open slots in the group.

MacLean’s official NASA bio states:

“From October 22 to November 1, 1992, Steve MacLean flew onboard Space Shuttle Columbia as a Payload Specialist for Mission STS-52. During this mission, he performed a set of seven experiments known as CANEX-2, which included the evaluation of the Space Vision System.

“MacLean was the Chief Science Advisor for the International Space Station from 1993 until 1994, when he was appointed Director General of the Canadian Astronaut Program for two years.

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China Update: Shenzhou VII Flight Set for Second Half of September

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China to launch third manned space flight in September: report
SpaceDaily.com

Hong Kong newspaper Wen Wei Po has reported that China will launch its third crewed mission, Shenzhou VII, between September 17 and October 1. Three “taikonauts” will be aboard, with one of them taking China’s first spacewalk.

Phoenix Digs Deeper As Third Month Nears End

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on August 25, 2008
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MARS PHOENIX MISSION UPDATE
25 August 2008

The next sample of Martian soil being grabbed for analysis is coming from a trench about three times deeper than any other trench NASA’s Phoenix Mars Lander has dug.

On Tuesday, Aug. 26, the spacecraft will finish the 90 Martian days (or “sols”) originally planned as its primary mission and will continue into a mission extension through September, as announced by NASA in July. Phoenix landed on May 25.

“As we near what we originally expected to be the full length of the mission, we are all thrilled with how well the mission is going,” said Phoenix Project Manger Barry Goldstein of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.

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Bigelow Habitats Progressing Toward Launch; Crew Transport Issue Remains Vexing

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on August 25, 2008
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Bigelow Aerospace Advances Work on Full-scale Space Habitat
Space News

“Bigelow said he and his team plan to have two Sundancer modules flight-ready by the end of 2011, as well as a docking node and propulsion bus system. By the end of 2012, the firm plans to have its first full BA-300 standard vessel ready for flight as well. ‘That’s regardless of whatever happens transportation-wise,’ he added, referring to the company’s ongoing search for a suitable launcher to get its hardware into orbit…

“‘The crew transportation issue is certainly challenging, and it keeps me up at night more often than my infant son … and that’s saying something,’ said Mike Gold, director of Bigelow Aerospace’s Washington office. However, there is hope, he added.”