The Orlando Sentinel has a story about the challenges faced by Florida’s Space Coast with the wind down of the shuttle program and potentially long gap before the Constellation program replaces it.
“According to Washington insiders, NASA — which until now has refrained from putting numbers on work-force losses — will announce in two weeks that 4,000 jobs will disappear with the shuttle in 2010,” the paper reports. “Experts anticipate another few thousand associated jobs will follow suit.”
The new Constellation program will require far fewer jobs than the space shuttle. In addition, Florida also is facing competition from Virginia, Texas and other states and countries.
NASA will be using space shuttle ceramic tiles on its new Orion spacecraft in order to save weight, the Orlando Sentinel reports.
The newspaper reports that NASA originally wanted to use a “Frisbee-shaped disc of a material called PICA as Orion’s main heat shield.” However, serious thrust issues with the Ares I rocket have required engineers to go with the lightweight tiles to reduce the capsule’s weight. Officials say the tiles are safe and their use on Orion is not likely to lead to a Columbia-type accident.
“The tiles were available,” said Cleon Lacefield, who is Orion program manager for Lockheed Martin. “They gave us the heat protection we needed, and the newer generation is very tough. They increased the damage tolerance over other alternatives we were looking at.”
The continued use of the tiles will save a handful of the hundreds of tile technician jobs that now exist to service the much larger space shuttle, which is scheduled for retirement in 2010. As few of 10 tile technicians will remain. Overall, the end of the shuttle program will likely take about 5,000 jobs with it.
More than 70 representatives from about 20 space-related businesses and interests lobbied Florida House and Senate offices on Thursday in favor of more state support for space, Florida Today reports.
Facing the end of the shuttle program and increased competition from other states and nations, the group emphasized the important of space exploration to Florida’s economy during the annual Space Day event.
“We want to make legislators aware of the economic importance of the aerospace industry to the entire state, not just to Brevard County,” said ASRC Aerospace’s Pedro Medelius. “It’s especially important now, because other states are starting initiatives to take the business that Florida has traditionally had.”
The Daytona Beach News-Journal and Orlando Sentinel have have thrown their editorial weight behind citizens who are opposed to building a new commercial launch facility in the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge at the Kennedy Space Center.
About 200 residents spoke out against the idea during a recent public hearing. The refuge site is one of several locations being considered. Residents suggested that the new facility be built on a nearby Air Force site that already hosts abandoned launch pads.
“Considering that some 1 million visitors a year trek into the refuge — birders, boaters, fishermen, hunters and hikers by the droves — one would think officials might have measured the potential economic blow to tourism and related loss of jobs from closing parts of the refuge against the 200 jobs and economic prospects of commercial space flight. NASA hasn’t. Interior Department and state officials should,” the Dayton editors wrote.
The Orlando Sentinel editors were a bit more blunt: “What part of the word ‘refuge’ doesn’t NASA understand?”
Meanwhile, Sentinel columnist Mike Thomas credits NASA for holding public hearings and doubts agency officials will build anything in the wildlife refuge. “If anything, it seems as if they are sabotaging the idea,” he wrote.
Jeff Foust over at Space Politics reports that the Florida Legislature is considering a zero liability law that would cover space tourist launched. The law, similar to one that Virginia passed, provides immunity to space companies for injuries or deaths as long as they get an “informed consent” agreement from tourists. The exceptions are gross negligence or intentional harm.
Foust has more on his blog here. You can also read the proposed Florida Senate and House bills here.
Kennedy Space Center’s proposed commercial launch facility has generated some concern among one group - local fishermen, according to the Daytona Beach News-Journal.
The fishermen are worried that a new launch complex would permanently close Mosquito Lagoon south from Haulover Canal. The fishing spot is known sas the Redfish Capital of the World.
NASA officials say they are considering two sites, one of which is near Mosquito Lagoon. They will be holding a series of public hearings to obtain input from the public.
Grand Prize Winner will receive $2M Bonus Prize for Successful Florida Based Launch.
Space Florida Press Release via Business Wire
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla.–Space Florida, the organization charged by the Florida Legislature with promoting and developing Florida’s aerospace industry, today announced that it will be a new preferred partner and Florida will become the first preferred launch site for the $30 million Google Lunar X PRIZE competition. Each preferred partner offers additional prizes or strategic services at a discounted rate to all competition teams.
As the first preferred launch site, Space Florida will award an additional prize of $2 million to the Grand Prize winner of the Google Lunar X PRIZE competition, provided the winner launched the winning flight from the State of Florida and upon confirmation that the winner has complied with all competition rules.
Continue reading ‘Space Florida Announces Strategic Partnership for Google Lunar X PRIZE Competition’
Florida is offering a $2 million incentive to encourage entrants in the Google Lunar X Prize to launch their robotic rover from the state.
The money would be in addition to the $20 million prize being offered by Google and the X Prize Foundation for the first private group to land a spacecraft on the moon by the end of 2010. Ten organizations have registered for the competition.
NASA’s decision to award $170 million in COTS funding to Orbital Sciences Corporation could prove to be a big boost to Virginia’s efforts to establish a commercial spaceport on Wallops Island.
The Dulles, Virginia-based company is leaning toward working with NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility and the state’s Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport to demonstrate its new Taurus II rocket by 2010. If the program is successful, it could make Virginia’s Eastern Shore a major commercial space center.
“This is a real opportunity to see that happen. It’s significant,” said Billie Reed, executive director of the Virginia Commercial Spaceflight Authority.
The Virginian-Pilot has more on the Virginia angle. Meanwhile, the Orlando Sentinel reports that although Orbital Sciences is leaning toward launching out of its home state, it has not closed the door on flights from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. KSC officials recently announced they were open to allowing private companies to build launch sites at the facility.
SPACE FLORIDA PRESS RELEASE
Cape Canaveral, FL - March 19, 2007 - Space Florida, the new state agency charged with promoting Florida’s space industry, and Zero Gravity Corporation, announces the creation of the Florida Microgravity Education and Research Center, designed to facilitate Florida teacher and student space education and aerospace microgravity research expertise. The center will be the first-of-its kind by any state in providing the breadth and depth of academic and research capability to perform microgravity research and education programs.
To mark the start of the Center’s operations, a zero-gravity demonstration flight was held from the Shuttle Landing Facility at the Kennedy Space Center in Central Florida. The flight included eight teachers from Brevard, Broward, Duval, Highlands, Santa Rosa and Seminole counties, and students (four in total) who ranged in age from 14 to 16.
The teachers and students were joined by Steve Koehler, President and Chief Executive Officer, Space Florida; Jeanine Blomberg, Interim Commissioner of Education, State of Florida; Monesia Brown, Head of the Agency for Workforce Innovation; John Adams, President of Enterprise Florida; and Dr. Peter H. Diamandis, Chief Executive and Co-Founder, Zero Gravity Corporation.
Continue reading ‘Space Florida and Zero Gravity Launch Research and Education Center’