Coalition for Space Exploration

CSExtra – Friday, February 3, 2012

Julie — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 14:21:36 +0000

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Friday’s CSExtra offers the latest reporting and commentary on space-related activities from around the world. NASA, the managing International Space Station partner, says a failed Russian ground test will add several weeks of delays to upcoming crew launches. Astronomers identify another habitable zone exo-planet. A strong space program makes economic sense, according to one advocate economist. United Launch Alliance makes strides in the human rating of the Atlas 5. The lure of NASA’s astronaut corps. Signs of a link between human activity and climate change. A new “Blue Marble” image of the Earth. Circular imprints on the Baltic Sea floor cause a stir.

1. From Spaceflightnow.com: A failed ground test leads to a six week delay in the new launch of crew to the International Space Station. The next three man U. S. and Russian team is scheduled to lift off on May 15, rather than March 30. Russia blames the setback on a failed pressure test that damaged the next Soyuz crew capsule. http://bit.ly/AtT9gf

A. From spacepolicyonline.com: The space station program’s NASA led managers believe station operations can accommodate current delays and return to normal scheduling by the end of 2012. http://bit.ly/x0w11d

B. From The Washington Post: The latest difficulties represent a second round of delays caused by Russian spacecraft issues in the last six months. http://wapo.st/x4KxY9

C. From Florida Today: NASA’s space station program manager expresses confidence Russian experts will diagnose and disclose the cause of the failed pressurization test and develop a remedy. http://on.flatoday.com/wE7VhS

2. From Space.com: Astronomers zero in on a potentially habitable exo-planet — a world where water on the surface could flow as a liquid. http://bit.ly/zxqU4L

3. From the Huffington Post: In an op-ed, economist Greg Autry examines the reasons for a strong U. S. space program with ties to a healthy commercial sector. The military GPS satellite navigation system, as an example, saves the long haul trucking industry an estimated $52 billion annually. Autry is the co-author of Death by China. http://huff.to/zBAzLO

4. From the Denver Post: United Launch Alliance, supplier of the Atlas 5 rocket, moves closer to a human rating — a reliability and safety status that would permit the launching of commercial space transports. http://bit.ly/z1ryVi

5. From the Houston Chronicle: Why have applications to NASA’s astronaut office openings soared? It’s the opportunity to rocket into deep space. http://bit.ly/yrvUgB

6. From Space.com: A study by NASA researchers, published in the journal Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, points to human rather than solar activity as the source of a rise in temperature. http://bit.ly/wmAavt

7. From Florida Today: More views of the “Blue Marble” Earth from the polar orbiting Suomi satellite. http://on.flatoday.com/xtAw2a

8. From Discovery.com: Two circular imprints on the Baltic Sea floor between Sweden and Finland are causing a stir. Crashed flying saucers perhaps? http://bit.ly/AbKTh8

Brought to you by the Coalition for Space Exploration, CSExtra is a daily compilation of space industry news selected from hundreds of online media resources. The Coalition is not the author or reporter of any of the stories appearing in CSExtra and does not control and is not responsible for the content of any of these stories. The content available through CSExtra contains links to other websites and domains which are wholly independent of the Coalition, and the Coalition makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy, completeness or authenticity of the information contained in any such site or domain and does not pre-screen or approve any content. The Coalition does not endorse or receive any type of compensation from the included media outlets and is not responsible or liable in any way for any content of CSExtra or for any loss, damage or injury incurred as a result of any content appearing in CSExtra. For information on the Coalition, visit www.spacecoalition.com or contact us via e-mail at Info@spacecoalition.com.

CSExtra – Thursday, February 2, 2012

Julie — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 12:38:36 +0000

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Thursday’s CSExtra offers the latest reporting and commentary on space related activities from around the world. U. S. experts spotlight 16 key technologies NASA will need to pursue strategic goals, including human deep space exploration. Russia considers a simulated Mars mission using the International Space Station and future human moon missions. Space Adventures looks to a commercial moon mission. NASA’s Ebb and Flow spacecraft deliver their first video of the moon’s far side, using the student MoonKAM. How much did a headline grabbing moon speech influence the outcome of Florida’s Republican presidential primary this week? SpaceX tests a powerful rocket. A meteor lights up the skies over North Texas. NASA astronaut Mike Massimino to guest on The Big Bang Theory tonight. Fighting fires in space. The U. S. Postal Service envisions a stamp for a Pluto-bound spacecraft. NASA readies NuSTAR, a black hole hunting spacecraft for a mid-March launching. NASA’s Kennedy Space Center to loose another round of shuttle workers.

1. From Spacepolicyonline.com: The National Research Council identifies 16 key technologies NASA should emphasize with future budget investments. The investments would nurture human activities beyond low Earth orbit, help to explain the evolution of the solar system and the potential for life elsewhere and enable a deeper understanding of Earth and the universe in which we live. http://bit.ly/zTrHqB

2. From Ria Novosti of Russia: Roscosmos chief Vladimir Popovkin says the Russian federal space agency is considering a repeat of the successful Mars500 experiment aboard the International Space Station. The experiment simulated the isolation of a 520 day journey to Mars in Moscow with six participates from Russia, Europe and China. The ground based exercise ended on Nov. 4. http://bit.ly/wWI9SI

A. From Ria Novosti of Russia: Russia is looking at launching cosmonauts to the moon by 2020, according to Vladimir Popovkin, head of Roscosmos. A new class of cosmonauts will be trained for lunar missions, he predicts. Russia is weighing either a moon or lunar orbiting base. http://bit.ly/y7JPFJ

B. From Ria Novosti of Russia: Observatories in Russia make plan search for extraterrestrial planets. http://bit.ly/ztaaOz

3. From the Houston Chronicle: Space Adventures, the U. S. travel adventure company, envisions a commercial passenger trip around the moon in 2017. http://bit.ly/woad7a

4. From Florida Today: Ebb and Flow, the two student named lunar satellites involved in NASA’s GRAIL mission, have transmitted their first video imagery of the moon’s far side. The imagery was taken on Jan. 19. The two spacecraft, launched last September are revealing new information about the moons subsurface. The “MoonKAM” on each probe is part of a student science project. http://on.flatoday.com/xps9qN

5. From Spacepolitics.com: Florida’s Republican presidential primary made national headlines last week. Mitt Romney emerged the winner. But how much did a widely assessed speech on space policy by challenger Newt Gingrich influence the outcome? http://bit.ly/zCSZVL

6. From Discovery.com: SpaceX reports a successful test of the SuperDraco, a compact rocket that will be part of the escape system on the company’s forthcoming Dragon orbital crew transport capsule. The rocket, fired at a Texas test site, could also be used to land spacecraft on the moon or Mars. http://bit.ly/yuzovK

7. From the Abilene Reporter News of Texas: A meteor streaked across North Texas and Oklahoma late Wednesday. Some reported the bright object was accompanied by a sonic boom. http://bit.ly/xwuM0A

8. From Space.com: NASA astronaut Mike Massimino, who twice assisted in upgrades to the Hubble Space Telescope, recently made a guest appearance on the CBS comedy The Big Bang Theory. The episode will air tonight, Feb. 2. http://bit.ly/y1S7JP

9. From the Coalition for Space Exploration: FLEX, or the Flame Extinguishment Experiment is underway aboard the International Space Station, where it promises to help improve fire fighting techniques on the Earth as well as on the space frontier. http://bit.ly/yBzM0O

10. From Collectspace.com: NASA’s Pluto-bound New Horizons mission is due a commemorative U. S. postal stamp. Launched in 2006, the mission is years away from its destination. http://bit.ly/ySeOdC

11. From Discovery.com: So, where are we? NASA’s Interstellar Boundary Explorer spacecraft offers new perspective. The Earth is traversing a cloud of materials forged outside the solar system. http://bit.ly/wICEU0

12. From Spaceflightnow.com: NASA’s NuSTAR spacecraft, an observatory equipped to survey the sky for black holes, arrives at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., where it is undergoing preparations for a mid-March launching from the Marshall Islands. http://bit.ly/yWO8SV

13. From Florida Today: The Kennedy Space Center’s workforce will shrink by about 200 jobs this spring in a continued response to the retirement of NASA’s shuttle program. http://on.flatoday.com/xxywPi

Hot Findings: “FLEX” Time in Space

leonarddavid — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 15:14:42 +0000

Fire station in space - experiments onboard the ISS. Credit: NASA

It is known as the Flame Extinguishment Experiment, or FLEX for short.

The work on improving fire-fighting techniques in space is being done on the Destiny module of the International Space Station. While important for human space travelers, the experiments on the ISS are also providing a better understanding of fuel combustion here on Earth.

Forman Williams, a professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at the Jacobs School of Engineering at the University of California, San Diego, has been working on fire research and fire safety with NASA since the 1970s.

The experiments take place in a chamber onboard the ISS Destiny module – part of a piece of equipment called the Combustion Integrated Rack. The hardware is roughly the size of a 5.5-foot bookcase and weighs close to 560 lbs.

The rack itself is crammed with sensors and equipped with video cameras that record FLEX experiments. A device called the Multiuser Droplet Combustion Apparatus is used to generate and ignite droplets from different fuels in different atmospheric conditions.

Flame behavior

Flames in space can burn at a lower temperature, at a lower rate and with less oxygen than in normal gravity. This means that materials used to extinguish fire must be present in higher concentrations. The slow flow of air from the fans mixing air in a spacecraft can make flames burn even faster.

To help understand how flames behave and burn in space, inquisitive FLEX researchers have ignited a small drop of either heptane or methanol. As this little sphere of fuel burned for about 20 seconds, it was engulfed by a spherically symmetric flame. The droplet shrank until either the flame extinguished or the fuel ran out.

ISS is equipped with carbon-dioxide (CO2) fire extinguishers, so FLEX researchers are focused on how fuel droplets burn in the presence of different amounts of CO2. Also, ambient air can become completely fire safe when there is not enough oxygen for fuels to ignite. This threshold is called the limiting oxygen index.

As an output from their ISS FLEX work, Williams and colleagues pinpointed this index for methanol and heptane on the space station.

Cleaner fuels

Williams is now working on a new series of experiments, called FLEX-2, which aims to recreate conditions that are closer to what actually happens in a combustion engine.

Findings could lead to new designs for cleaner fuels that have a smaller carbon footprint and emit fewer pollutants, among other applications.

There are some intriguing test results from earlier FLEX studies.

For example, when the flame around a fuel droplet extinguishes, that droplet should stop shrinking because combustion has essentially stopped. But in about a dozen instances during the FLEX experiments, heptane droplets kept shrinking at the same rate as when the flame was still burning.

Williams, who has studied combustion for the past 50 years, said he has never seen anything like it.

Burning interest

William has harbored a long-time burning interest in combustion, dating back to his undergraduate days at Princeton. He was taking a graduate-level course when his professor wrote out on the blackboard the conservation equations of combustion. “When I realized how complicated they were, I said to myself that there is enough there to last me a lifetime,” Williams explained.

“Research leads to a better understanding of fire behavior,” Willams said in a UCSD press statement. “And better understanding ultimately leads to better safety designs.”

Early combustion in space work included several experiments that ran on Spacelab, a science module flown in the cargo bay of U.S. space shuttles.

Common occurrence in microgravity

The holy grail of combustion science is a flame around a fuel droplet that looks like a perfectly symmetrical sphere. That is very hard to achieve here on Earth. It is however a common occurrence in microgravity. Spherical symmetry makes it easier to observe droplets’ behavior and to craft the calculations that explain it, Williams said.

While the original FLEX experiments looked at fuels with only one component, FLEX-2 will run tests on fuels with two components, more similar to fuels used in real-life conditions, which usually have multiple components. While FLEX examined the behavior of single fuel droplets, the new round of tests will also look at the interaction of two fuel droplets.

The FLEX experiments are run by remote control from NASA’s John Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio. Williams and colleagues at Princeton, UC Davis, the University of Connecticut and Cornell analyze the FLEX results at their home institutions.

By Leonard David

CSExtra – Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Julie — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 12:11:58 +0000

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Wednesday’s CSExtra offers the latest reporting and commentary on space-related activities from across the globe. In Russia, space officials say plans for the next Soyuz crew launch to the International Space Station will be delayed by a ground test failure. NASA’s Interstellar Boundary Explorer makes the first detection of chemical elements from beyond the solar system. NASA astronaut Shannon Lucid, a space endurance record holder, retires. After weeks of speculation, Russian investigators point to poor computer hardware and lack of pre-launch testing as the cause of a recent Mars mission loss. Florida’s Space Coast shows signs of economic recovery. An advocate for the human exploration of Mars examines the issue of risk.

1. From Ria Novosti of Russia: Russian space officials say the next crew launch to the International Space Station will be delayed from late March to late April or mid-May. The postponement was blamed on the ground test failure of the Soyuz TMA-04M that was to launch an American and two Russians to the outpost. http://bit.ly/yqrWOt

2. From National Geographic Daily News: From its orbit 200,000 miles away, NASA’s Interstellar Boundary Explorer detects the first chemical elements from interstellar space. The particles of hydrogen, oxygen and neon came from the space between stars, scientists report. http://bit.ly/zdTZb8

3. From Spaceflightnow.com: Veteran astronaut Shannon Lucid follows colleague Jerry Ross in to retirement. Lucid, a former world record spaceflight holder for women, announced her retirement Tuesday. She follows vet Jerry Ross, the first human to launch into space seven times. Lucid was selected in 1978, Ross in 1980. http://bit.ly/w58uk5

4. From Spacepolicyonline.com: Russian experts point to cosmic ray interference and/or computer chips that were not space qualified or adequately vetted before launch for the heavy publicized loss of the Phobos Grunt mission. The spacecraft was stranded in Earth orbit after an early November launch. Scientists hoped to retrieve soil samples from the Martian moon Phobos. http://bit.ly/xEZvFg

A. From Spacepolicyonline.com and RussianSpaceWeb.com: Investigators find interference from the radar of foreign sources, the United States, for instance, was not the source of the Phobos Grunt mission loss. http://bit.ly/xoafNS

5. From Florida Today: New data suggests Florida’s Space Coast has started to rebound from the economic hit that accompanied the retirement of NASA’s 30-year shuttle program in mid-2011. A general improvement in the regional economy is expected, including net job growth and more spending, the newspaper reports in an article that appeared Jan. 28. Unemployment peaked at 12.8 percent in January 2010. http://on.flatoday.com/zQYkTj

6. From Reason Magazine: In an op-ed, Robert Zubrin, president of the Mars Society, examines NASA’s approach to risk and the prospects for reaching the Red Planet with human explorers. http://bit.ly/ywzZcr

A. From Wired.com: Life in space could alter the genes of astronauts, a European study using fruit flies as subjects suggests. Fruit flies have long been subjects of genetic studies. http://bit.ly/xlIQqK

CSExtra – Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Julie — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 12:36:38 +0000

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Tuesday’s CSExtra offers the latest reporting and commentary on space related activities from around the globe. NASA receives nearly 6,400 applications for the 9 to15 astronaut positions it plans to fill in 2013. Russian experts size up the impact of a Soyuz spacecraft test failure that could affect future launch plans. Russian experts look to computing and testing errors in the loss of their recent Mars probe. Two essays look at the rise and presumed fall of space as a presidential campaign issue as well as Russia’s initial public response to its Mars mission failure. NASA’s Mars bound Mars Science Laboratory mission detects a rush of solar radiation. NASA teams with Facebook for a new space trivia game. NASA leads an effort to digitally record the design and development history of the retired shuttle orbiters. Missing aliens.

1. From Florida Today: A chance to be a NASA astronaut attracts nearly 6,400 applicants. The application period, which opened in mid-November closed last Friday at midnight. NASA intends to hire from 9 to 15 new astronauts by early 2013. The next astronaut class will be the first of NASA’s post shuttle era. http://bit.ly/y4pYRq

2. From Florida Today: Scheduling for Russian missions to the International Space Station, slated for late March and May, could be affected by a recent pressure test failure involving the first of the two spacecraft. An inquiry is under way. For now, the incident is not a threat to crew staffing of the six-person orbiting science laboratory, according to NASA, the program’s managing partner. http://on.flatoday.com/zz88vj

A. Spacepolicyonline.com: Russian experts are looking at computing, testing errors as the cause of the Phobos-Grunt mission failure. Launched in early November, the probe crashed to Earth earlier this month. http://bit.ly/xoafNS

3. Two from The Space Review, of Monday, assess the surprise emergence of space as an issue in the race for the Republican presidential nomination and Russia’s finger pointing in the loss of the Phobos-Grunt Mars mission:

A. In “Campaign Lunacy,” TSR editor Jeff Foust predicts last week’s Republican presidential primary campaign dust up in Central Florida over space policy marked the start and the end of the nation’s future in space as an election issue. http://bit.ly/xR0QVd

B. In “The need for real rocket science to solve Russian spaceflight setbacks,” James Oberg, former NASA flight controller and Soviet space historian, sounds a warning over Russia’s handling of the Phobos-Grunt mission loss. Initial finger pointing, especially at the U. S. and its space radar arrays, suggests Russia’s space leadership was hesitant to dig into the causes. That may not bode well for the United States, which is depending on Russia for the transportation of astronauts to and from the International Space Station until it can nurture a space shuttle replacement, Oberg writes. http://bit.ly/AE71RS

4. From Discovery.com: NASA’s Mars bound Mars Science Laboratory detects radiation unleashed by a Jan. 22 solar storm. That’s a good thing. Scientists want to know what a spacecraft with astronauts aboard might expect on its way to the red planet. http://bit.ly/w4bRDN

5. From Space.com: NASA joins with Facebook to launch a new space trivia game. The answers to Space Race Blastoff are “out there”. http://bit.ly/y6jz81

6. From Collectspace.com: The design and development history of NASA’s retired shuttle orbiters, starting with Discovery, will be digitally archived by the space agency through the efforts of several state archivists and the National Park Service. An emphasis will be placed on changes made after the Columbia and Challenger tragedies. http://bit.ly/wnKKc9

7. From the Huntsville Times: Alabama Google Lunar X-prize contestants launch a lander competition for school students. Got a name? http://bit.ly/xeew3r

8. From Discovery.com: If there is life elsewhere in the universe, why hasn’t it been here? An old question gets a fresh look. http://bit.ly/w0235m

CSExtra – Monday, January 30, 2012

Julie — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 12:31:26 +0000

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Monday’s CSExtra offers the latest reporting and commentary on space related activities from around the globe, including a roundup of weekend developments. In the Florida primary contest, a pledge from Republican presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich to develop a human lunar base within eight years of his election draws fire. Well known members of the space community endorse opponent Mitt Romney. The first re-supply mission of 2012 reaches the International Space Station. Then, the orbiting lab maneuvers to avoid Chinese satellite debris. Some experts question the viability of NASA’s heavy lift rocket initiative. Canadian teens aim high with a camera toting Lego figure. Japan readies a second asteroid sample return mission. Boeing credits the success of the Boeing 787, in part, to engineers from civil and military space programs. A look at major space related activities scheduled for the week ahead.

1. From CNN: Jan. 27: A group of eight prominent space community members endorse Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney in the Jan. 31 Florida primary. The nod from Apollo 17 commander Gene Cernan and former NASA administrator Mike Griffin, among others, followed a widely reported campaign pledge by GOP rival Newt Gingrich on the nation’s space future. While in Cocoa Beach, Fla., last week, Gingrich pledged to establish a human lunar base within eight years of his election, while lodging criticism at NASA’s leadership. Competitive cash prizes would be a centerpiece of his space planning. http://bit.ly/wd9c8h

A. From Spacepolicyonline.com, Jan. 27: In a Cape Canaveral, Fla., campaign speech, GOP presidential hopeful Mitt Romney says he will consult closely with the aerospace industry, NASA leadership and the military before formulating specific space exploration goals. However, Romney lists deeper knowledge of the universe, commercial success, science and national security as value points for a future space strategy. http://bit.ly/xvguBx

B. From Spacepolitics.com, Jan. 29: Eric Anderson, one of Romney’s endorsers, elaborates on the space policy views of the former Massachusetts governor. Commercial advance would be a focus. “NASA has been kicked around like a pinball. We can’t keep stopping and starting,” said Anderson. A new plan “can’t break the bank like Constellation, and it can’t be directionless”. http://bit.ly/zCgsQl

C. From The New York Times, Jan. 28: A look at Newt Gingrich’s lunar colony proposal. The goal is technically feasible, but expensive and politically challenging, the Times reports. http://nyti.ms/xNPcnj

D. From the Washington Examiner, Jan. 28: A wider look at how U. S. space policy became a predictable issue in Florida’s Jan. 31 Republican primary. http://bit.ly/yYSWwe

E. From Florida Today, Jan. 28: Space policy is a tough issue for politicians, writes columnist John Kelly, one that can be prone to grandiose speeches that are short on details and a lack of understanding. http://on.flatoday.com/zZK0Iz

2. From Florida Today, Jan. 27: The six person International Space Station receives its first supply craft of 2012. An un-piloted Russian Progress capsule docks late Friday. http://bit.ly/wwkMuT

A. From Ria Novosti of Russia, Jan. 29: U. S. and Russian flight control teams boost the orbit of the International Space Station late Saturday to avoid debris from China’s 2007 anti-satellite weapons test. The 64 second maneuver raised the station’s orbit to avoid a series of overnight close passes. http://bit.ly/xVcQPm

3. From The Houston Chronicle, Jan. 28: NASA’s Space Launch System, a heavy lift rocket intended to deliver the new Orion/Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle on missions to deep space destinations, appears to be too expensive to survive the current budget environment, according to a Chronicle assessment. http://bit.ly/wQtOCw

4. From Space.com, Jan. 28: Two Canadian teens send a Lego man with flag into the stratosphere aboard a balloon. Equipped with cameras, the imaginative mission captured hundreds of photos and a pair of videos watched by nearly one million YouTube viewers. The cameras parachuted back to Earth. http://bit.ly/yBqaP5

5. From Spaceflightnow.com, Jan. 29: Japan makes plans for a second mission to recover rocks from an asteroid. The Hayabusa-2 mission would reach the small planetary body 1993 JU3 in 2014. http://bit.ly/A2k82H

6. From the Huntsville Times, Jan. 28: The popularity of Boeing’s new 787 Dreamliner is due in part from the contributions of engineers once employed by civil and military space programs, say company officials. http://bit.ly/ywwJGL

7. From Spacepolicyonline.com, Jan. 29: A look at space policy related events scheduled for the week ahead: http://bit.ly/zfbmeT

Pluto-Bound Spacecraft: Wake-up Call, then Hibernate

leonarddavid — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 17:07:54 +0000

Credit: NASA/JHUAPL

NASA’s Pluto-bound New Horizons spacecraft is more than two billion miles from home.

Even at that distance, Earth controllers this month have woken up the probe from hibernation, as well as successfully test the New Horizons Radio Science Experiment (REX).

That test took advantage of an Earth-moon-spacecraft alignment to simulate atmospheric measurements “REX” will make at Pluto in 2015.

REX is integrated into the spacecraft communications system.

The operation team at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab in Maryland uploaded a new set of commands to the spacecraft’s computer; made sure its digital data recorders were in working order; primed the communications system for testing of the Radio Science Experiment (REX); refreshed the memory on one of the Guidance and Control processor memory banks; and prepped the Solar Wind at Pluto (SWAP) and Pluto Energetic Particle Spectrometer Science Investigation (PEPSSI) instruments for more than three months of science-data collection.

Today, the team returned the spacecraft to hibernation.

Fortuitous alignment

The REX tests took place on Jan 21.

The team took advantage of a fortuitous Earth-moon-spacecraft alignment that allowed it to simulate the occultation technique New Horizons will use in 2015 to probe Pluto’s atmosphere and to search for an atmosphere around Pluto’s largest moon, Charon.

New Horizons is the first mission to Pluto and the Kuiper Belt of rocky, icy objects beyond.

The craft was launched on January 19, 2006 and is slated for the Pluto-Charon encounter in July 2015.

Since departure from Earth, the spacecraft is nearing 2,200 days of its cruise into the unknown.

For more information on this long-distance mission, go to:

http://pluto.jhuapl.edu/index.php

By Leonard David

CSExtra – Friday, January 27, 2012

Julie — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 12:28:53 +0000

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Friday’s CSExtra offers the latest reporting and commentary on space related activities from around the world. President Obama participates in NASA’s Day of Remembrance, an annual tribute to fallen astronauts. In Florida, Republican presidential hopefuls respond to Newt Gingrich’s pledge to establish a human lunar base. An independent safety panel warns of the risks associated with life aboard the International Space Station in an annual report. A bus-sized asteroid will zip close to the Earth today. Kepler scientists announce 11 new extra solar planetary systems. NASA closes out its latest astronaut application process today. New evidence of a lunar magnetic field. Alan Shepard’s Freedom 7 Mercury capsule will make its way to a future display home in Washington D. C.

1. From Spacepolicyonline.com: Thursday marked NASA’s annual Day of Remembrance — an opportunity to memorialize the deaths of 17 astronauts who died aboard the shuttle’s Columbia and Challenger and the Apollo 1. President Obama paid tribute. NASA Administrator Charles Bolden led a wreath laying ceremony at the Arlington National Cemetery. http://bit.ly/xJzK61

A. From Space.com: NASA’s Day of Remembrance — a reminder that human spaceflight carries grave risks. http://bit.ly/AbxMRi

2. From Spacepolitics.com: In Florida, the Republican presidential hopefuls debated Thursday night Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum and Ron Paul distanced themselves from Newt Gringrich’s pledge earlier this week to establish a human lunar base on the moon by 2020. Gingrich’s opponents questioned the expenditure. Florida’s primary is set for Jan. 31. http://bit.ly/zXsd2L

A. From the National Journal: In the GOP Florida primary contest, Rick Santorum disavows opponent Newt Gringrich’s proposal to establish a moon base by 2020 and possibly extend statehood. The nation’s deficit takes precedence, the former U. S. senator from Pennsylvania says in a campaign stop at Florida State University in Tallahassee. http://bit.ly/yrWjdS

B. From the Washington Post: A look at GOP presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich’s pledge to establish a human lunar base by 2020, while campaigning this week in the Florida primary. Most say the plan is too expensive when the economy is troubled. Gringrich, however, embraces the vow, explaining he will work with the private sector to ensure a future lunar base is established by the U. S., not China or Russia. http://wapo.st/AwN5b9

C. From the Los Angeles Times: In an op-ed, Gingrich’s lunar colony plan is labeled “absurd” in difficult economic times. http://bit.ly/wnxCLd

D. From the Christian Science Monitor: Gringrich’s vision for a moon settlement took root decades ago. He outlined his plans as a young congressman in the early 1980s, both in legislation and in a book. http://bit.ly/we9D2J

3. From Florida Today: NASA’s Independent Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel warns of risks associated with the staffing of the U. S. led International Space Station. The panel, which reports to the NASA administrator, listed a greater than 30 percent chance that astronauts will have to abandon the station between now and the end of operations in 2020. The ASAP urged the space agency to improve its planning for an emergency descent to Earth as well as for ensuring an eventual controlled re-entry of the orbiting laboratory at the end of its orbital life. http://on.flatoday.com/wJfW4q

4. From Space.com: The newly discovered, bus-sized asteroid 2012 BX34 will pass within 40,000 miles of Earth before noon on Friday. The Earth faces no threat of impact, say experts. http://bit.ly/AznKR2

5. From Discovery.com: NASA’s Kepler science team announces a bounty of new extra solar planets. In all, 11 new planetary systems emerge. http://bit.ly/A6rIi5

6. From The Washington Post: NASA closes out its application process for a new class of astronauts today. It’s the first time since 2009 the space agency has sought new astronaut applicants. If flying in space is not your choice, NASA also needs legal and medical experts, project managers and financial experts. http://wapo.st/AwZgkJ

7. From Space.com: New studies of lunar rocks suggest the moon had a longer lasting and perhaps stronger magnetic field that previously believed. The findings are detailed in the current issue of the journal Science. http://bit.ly/ySMQZe

8. From Collectspace.com: The Freedom 7 Mercury capsule that carried Alan Shepard into space as the first American astronaut will leave the U. S. Naval Academy for eventual display at the Smithsonian’s Air and Space Museum in Washington D. C. Look for the famous spacecraft in the nation’s capitol around 2016. http://bit.ly/yWo8Hu

President Obama, NASA Honor the Nation’s Fallen Astronauts

markcarreau — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 22:26:19 +0000

NASA Administrator led a wreath laying ceremony at the Arlington National Cemetery in Washington to honor the Columbia, Challenger and Apollo 1 astronauts. Photo Credit/NASA and Bill Ingalls

President Obama joined with NASA on Thursday to honor the aspirations and sacrifice of the 17 astronauts who perished aboard the shuttles Columbia and Challenger and in the Apollo 1 fire as they pushed the boundaries of exploration for the United States of America and the citizens of all nations.

NASA’s Day of Remembrance is marked on the final Thursday of each January.

The American flag at NASA installations across the country are lowered to half staff. Employees stop their activities to observe a moment of silence.

“It is important to remember that pushing the boundaries of space requires great courage and has come with a steep price three times in our Nation’s history for the crews of Apollo 1 and the space shuttles Challenger and Columbia” said President Obama. “The loss of these pioneers is felt every day by their family, friends, and colleagues, but we take comfort in the knowledge that their spirit will continue to inspire us to new heights.”

At the Arlington National Cemetery in Washington D. C., NASA Administrator Charles Bolden, a former shuttle astronaut and retired Marine Corps general, led a wreath laying ceremony in tribute to the fallen astronauts and others who have given their lives to advance the space frontier.

Columbia disintegrated overEast Texas on Feb. 1, 2003, as the spacecraft descended to Earth after a 16-day mission. Columbia’s lost crew included Rick Husband, Willie McCool, Michael Anderson, Kalpana Chawla, David Brown, Laurel Clark and Illan Ramon, of Israel.

Challenger shattered moments after lifting off on Jan. 28, 1986, from the Kennedy Space Center inFlorida. Those who lost their lives included Francis “Dick” Scobee, Mike Smith, Ellison Onizuka, Judy Resnik, Ron McNair, Greg Jarvis and Christa McAuliffe.

The Apollo 1 capsule was consumed by fire during a pre-launch countdown test at theKennedy Space Center on Jan. 27, 1967. Gus Grisson perished with Ed White and Roger Chaffee.

“In the face our greatest accomplishments, it’s easy to loose site of the fact that each time men and women board a spacecraft their actions carry great risk along with the opportunity for great discovery and the opportunity to push the envelope of human achievement,” said Bolden.

In the aftermath of each tragedy, NASA recovered. Human spaceflight resumed.

CSExtra – Thursday, January 26, 2012

Julie — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 12:09:58 +0000

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Thursday’s CSExtra offers the latest reporting and commentary on space related activities from around the world. In Florida, Republican presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich looks to a human moon base as part of a strategy to revive America’s vision. Russia successfully launches the first International Space Station re-supply mission of 2012. NASA presents startling images of the “blue marble” from a new Earth observing spacecraft. NASA’s Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity marks its eighth year of operations this week. Russia pursues a Mars mission failure investigation without the help it sought from the U. S.

1. From Spacepolicyonline.com: Republican presidential hopeful Newt Gringrich unveils his space vision during a campaign stop on Florida’s space coast. The former House speaker pledges a permanently staffed moon base by the end of his second term, or about 2020. The science, space tourism and manufacturing communities will flourish in Earth orbit, Gingrich promises a Cocoa Beach audience. The candidate also looks to propulsion technologies that would drastically reduce the travel time to Mars. Florida’s primary is scheduled for Jan. 31.
http://bit.ly/x3nwRU

A. From POLITICO.com: Gringrich embraces a “visionary” high ground with his plans for a lunar base and insistence they be established ahead of Russian or Chinese settlements.
http://politi.co/w8LLqe

B. From Florida Today: Gringrich says he will shake up NASA’s bureaucracy and commit 10 percent of the agency’s budget to prizes that will spur technical innovation. Once the moon achieves a colony of 13,000, it could be eligible for statehood, according to the candidate’s plans.
http://on.flatoday.com/A4OOT3

2. From Spaceflightnow.com: Russia’s first Progress re-supply mission to the International Space Station lifts off late Wednesday. The Progress 46 spacecraft is on track to dock late Friday.
http://bit.ly/yPuVzn

3. From USA Today: NASA’s National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System (NPOESS) satellite was re-named Wednesday for the father of satellite meteorology, Verner Suomie. Launched in October, NPOESS is a test bed for sensors that will be assigned to future weather and climate observing spacecraft. Suomie NPP has also taken some “blue marble” images of the Earth.
http://usat.ly/zXWKcX

4. From the Huffington Post: NASA’s Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity marks its eighth anniversary on Mars this week. Opportunity has uncovered evidence supporting an ancient climate on Mars that was warmer, wetter and more conductive to life than the cold dry conditions of the present.
http://huff.to/ypSLnG

5. From Ria Novosti of Russia: Russia’s federal space agency says NASA declined to participate in testing to determine whether U. S. radar led to the recent demise of the Phobos-Grunt mission. The probe, stranded in Earth orbit following an early November lift off, was to retrieve soil samples from the Martian moon Phobos. A formal report on the causes of the mission loss is expected next week. Some say the Russian finger pointing is to cover their own mistakes.
http://bit.ly/zvI9j6