March 2005

Space Watch
Week of March 7-11, 2005

Welcome to Space Watch. This is a weekly update compiled by The Eisenhower Institute of the most significant news items in civil, military and commercial space.

If you are interested in receiving a weekly email update version of Space Watch, please send an email to spacewatch@eisenhowerinstitute.org with the word "subscribe" in the subject line. Space Watch will be sent out every Friday.

Civil Space

Space Debris Could Create Huge Problems for Shuttle
A new NASA risk study has catapulted tiny space debris to the forefront of dangers for the upcoming shuttle missions. Engineers and scientists are now listing tiny rocks, paint flecks, and various other minute fragments as some of the most threatening dangers to the shuttles and the astronauts on board. The recent assessment stipulates that space debris accounts for 11 of the 20 problems most likely to cause the loss of another shuttle and accounts for half of the catastrophic risk on any flight. NASA would not comment on the yet unreleased study because it has not yet been completed.
(Kelly, John. http://www.space.com/missionlaunches/050305_shuttle_debris.html, 3/5/05)

Russia to Develop New Space Radars
According to sources, Russia is set to develop an entire constellation of high-resolution space radars in the next few years. The spacecraft, the Akron-2 multi-role satellites, will supposedly outshine even the most technologically advanced of its kind. The last time Russia had a high-resolution radar was in 1991, when their Almaz-1 spacecraft malfuntioned. Eight of the world's space powers, including Japan, Germany, Canada, Italy, Great Britain, Israel, and China plan to orbit radar satellites in the next few years. The Akron-2 is said to provide detailed top-quality photos of areas measuring 10 km by 10 km with resolution up to one meter. Russia plans to implement the program in the next two to three years.
(SPX, http://www.spacedaily.com/news/radar-05c.html, 3/7/05)

Search for NASA Chief At a Stand-Still
Now 10 weeks since the former administrator Sean O'Keefe stipulated he was stepping down from the NASA Administrator position, no permanent replacement has yet to be named. Lawmakers are starting to worry about a position that will be highly significant in trying to push the new Bush Space Exploration Vision. With longtime NASA exec Fred Gregory currently at the helm, the Bush administration seems caught up in numerous other administrative issues, putting the NASA position on the backburner. Representative Tom Feeney of Florida recognizes how critical the selection will be for the program, calling it almost a "Cabinet-level selection." The Bush administration claims that they will find a suitable replacement in a "timely manner."
(Wheeler, Larry. http://www.space.com/news/050307_okeefe_replace.html, 3/7/05)

Aurora Rocket Crashes in Alaska
Just north of Fairbanks, Alaska, a 70-foot Black Brant XII rocket launched from the Poker Flat Research Range and crashed into the mountainside. The rocket, intended to collect information on the aurora's movements, was supposed to fly for 40 minutes. Instead, it crashed five minutes after launching. Officials are currently investigating the crash to determine the cause. Poker Flat Research Range has been the site of nearly 2,000 rocket launches since 1969. (AP,http://www.cnn.com/2005/TECH/space/03/07/rocket.malfunction.ap/index.html, 3/7/05)

India and Venezuela to Cooperate in Space
Indian and Venezuelan space agencies signed a Memorandum of Understanding this week on cooperation in space science and technology. The agreement between the Indian Department of Space and the Ministry of Science and Technology of Venezuela provides an umbrella under which long term cooperation can be achieved in the areas of satellite programs, remote earth sensing, telemedicine and tele-education, and human resource developing.
(SPX, http://www.spacedaily.com/news/india-05j.html, 3/7/05)

China Preparing For Second Manned Launch
According to Chinese sources, the Long March 2F launch vehicle and the Shenzhou 6 spacecraft are in their final stages of preparation. The two will be expected to launch China's second manned spacecraft within nine months. China has withheld many of the details about the upcoming mission from the media. Most speculate that this mission will be designed as an endurance mission, demonstrating the spacecraft's ability to operate in space for an extended period of time. It has been two years since Shenzhou 5 launched Yang Liwei as the first Chinese man in space. Economics has been named as the likely factor for the delay between the two launches.
(SPX, http://www.spacedaily.com/news/china-05x.html, 3/7/05)

Congress Shifts NASA to New Appropriations Committee in Reshuffling
The Senate Appropriations Committee recently revamped its subcommittee reorganization following a similar reshuffling in the House in February. Shifted in the new reorganization was NASA appropriations. Formerly conducted in the Veterans Affairs and Housing and Urban Development subcommittee, the Senate shifted NASA over to the Senate Appropriations Commerce, Justice, and Science subcommittee, which will be chaired by Senator Richard Shelby (R-Ala). Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) will retain her position as the ranking Democrat under the new subcommittee in order to retain oversight over NASA.
(News Briefs, Space News, 3/7/05)

India's Space Budget Skyrockets
According to recent budget documents, India is planning on increasing its spending on space activities by nearly 24% to a total of nearly $722 million in 2005-06. The largest portion of funds will be devoted to India's Geostationary Satellite Launch Vehicle program, which will be capable of placing payloads of up to 4,000 kilograms into geostationary orbit. Current Indian versions of the Mark 3 launch vehicles can only place 2,000 kilograms into orbit. Also receiving major funding is India's new version of GPS, the Gagan navigation system, which is slated to begin functioning in 2008.
(Jayaraman, KS. Space News, 3/7/05)

NASA is Progressing with Nuclear Powered Exploration
Project Prometheus is NASA's attempt to use nuclear power to propel a space probe into the deep reaches of space. According to some scientists, nuclear power may be the most logical power source for future space probes. Chemical rockets are simply impractical due to their size and mass they have to carry. Solar power becomes problematic the further one moves away from the sun. Saturn, for example, receives nearly one hundredth of the solar energy that the Earth receives. Nuclear powered space platforms, though small, will be an engineering feat, according to some scientists. Scientists are currently looking at a shorter trip (perhaps the moon) in order to test a nuclear powered Prometheus. That test is slated to take place within ten years' time.
(Redfern, Martin. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4329645.stm, 3/8/05)

Rosetta Comet Probe Swings by Home
Rosetta, the European space probe, took pictures of the Earth and the moon as it swung by yesterday. The probe was flying by in order to gather speed as it gets ready to swing out towards Jupiter and eventually meet up with Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko in 2014. The probe is expected to fly by Earth three times in the next couple of years and is currently swinging out toward Mars. It will return to Earth in 2007 and 2009 in order to gather enough speed to take off for the long trip to Jupiter. The fly-bys are fuel-saving maneuvers designed to speed up the probe to a speed relatively similar to the comet it will be tracking.
(BBC News, http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4328995.stm, 3/8/05)

Russia Set To Build Super-Heavy Launcher
According to local news media, Russian engineers are busy designing a super-heavy booster rocket, which would be capable of lifting 110 tons of payload into orbit. The venture would allow the assembling of possible future space stations. Currently, the center's existing Angara rockets are capable of only delivering a maximum of 27 tons of payload into orbit.
(UPI, http://www.spacedaily.com/news/rocketscience-05i.html, 3/8/05)

Older Projects Beginning to Face Termination by NASA
According to some sources inside of NASA, money tightening may force several older missions to be terminated in October. The decision is apparently not yet final, but allegedly involves mission scientists and engineers of older programs such as Voyager, Ulysses, Polar, Wind, Geotail, and TRACE. These officials have been told that their projects may be cancelled after the fiscal year ends in October. Scientists are condemning the measure, calling it short-sighted and are upset that it is being done without a usual formal science review. This outside review is usually done every few years and ranks the value of current operating missions in order to support NASA's attempt to determine the programs ripe for termination.
(SPX, http://www.spacedaily.com/news/voyager1-05a.html, 3/9/05)

American Astronomical Society Urges NASA to Stick To Hubble Plan
The American Astronomical Society today released a policy statement urging NASA to continue on with their prior decision to service the Hubble Space Telescope. President Robert Kirshner lamented that he was "personally very disappointed with NASA current plan not to service HST. We know that NASA is committed to doing the world's best astronomy and servicing Hubble with the Shuttle is part of the best program." The statement confirms the value of the HST to the astronomy world and stresses the need to provide service and support for ongoing space science missions at NASA.
(SPX, http://www.spacedaily.com/news/hubble-05k.html, 3/9/05)

Cassini Reveals Titan to Be Quite Earth-Like
The Cassini space probe has revealed Saturn's largest moon, Titan, to be quite Earth-like in its various processes. Recent pictures and tests have confirmed the presence of phenomena including tectonics, erosion, winds, and perhaps even volcanism. Cassini has also spotted what appears to be a long river, perhaps composed of methane, roughly 930 miles long, which snakes its way along Titan's surface. According to scientists, tectonism is playing a large role in shaping the structure of Titan's surface, much like on the Earth.
(JPL, http://www.spacedaily.com/news/saturn-titan-05r.html, 3/10/05)

 

Commercial

Companies Contemplate Alliance to Run Galileo
Finmeccanica chairman Pier Francesco Guarguaglini said Friday that there is a chance that the dueling Eurely and iNavSat consortia could form an alliance in order to manage the Galileo navigation system. The European Commission, again, last week failed to make a choice between the two competing consortia. The deal is a 20-year project and worth nearly $3.9 billion dollars. Finmeccanica belongs to the Eurely consortium and their chairman seems to believe that the EU is pushing for the two sides to find an agreement. He believes that the two groups were open to compromise. "It is clear that we have to find an industrial agreement," he added.
(AFP, http://www.spacedaily.com/2005/050304133851.c3kex7zk.html, 3/4/05)

ILS Slated to Launch GPS Satellite on Atlas 5 Rocket
The Air Force has given the go-ahead to International Launch Services in order to begin preparations to launch a GPS navigation satellite on board a Lockheed Martin Atlas 5 rocket. The launch will presumably occur in early 2007 and will take off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. This will be the first GPS satellite launched on board an Atlas 5, as the previous satellites have all been launched on board Boeing Delta 2 rockets. Boeing plans on launching its own Delta 4 rockets in 2007.
(News Briefs, Space News, 3/7/05).

Kistler Banking on Creditors and NASA to Stave Off Bankruptcy
Kistler Aerospace Corporation, the developers of the first K-1 reusable launch vehicle, is attempting to stave off liquidation by filing its newest reorganization proposal with the US Bankruptcy Court. The debt-restructuring plan is designed to persuade its creditors that it is more valuable as a continuing asset, rather than as a liquidated one. The courts will determine whether or not Kistler will be able to continue the development of the K-1 rocket, which Kistler says is nearly 85% complete and still $500 million short of what it needs to complete a test launch. Kistler is also banking on a NASA contract which would allow the K-1 to resupply the ISS. The court is expected to decide the case on March 29th.
(de Selding, Peter. Space News, 3/7/05)

 

Military Space

Missile Defense Intercept Successful
The Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense Weapon System was successful in intercepting a ballistic missile target. The guided missile cruiser USS Lake Erie confirmed that the Standard Missile-3 had indeed intercepted a missile target somewhere over the Pacific Ocean. The success is the fifth one for the Aegis BMD team which consists of Lockheed Martin and Raytheon. This is the first success for the weapon system in an at-sea flight test mission. The system consists of the SPY-1 radar, the Mk41 Vertical launching system and the SM-3 missile and is currently on 68 US Navy cruisers and destroyers around the world.
(SPX, http://www.spacedaily.com/news/bmdo-01zzt.html, 3/7/05)

Representative Weldon Pushes for Cooperation with Russia in Missile Defense
US Representative Curt Weldon (R-PA), vice chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, has recently expressed his concern with the Department of Defense in its inability to find a substitute cooperation program which would replace the now defunct Russian American Observation Satellite (Ramos) program. Their inability to fill that position with an alternative Russian cooperative program is sending the wrong message to Russia with regard to missile defense, according to Weldon. The Ramos program was intended to foster cooperation and ease tensions between the two countries but was cancelled last year due to disagreements over funding and direction. The US MDA had stated in a 2005 budget request that it would find a suitable substitute, but the program was left out of its 2006 funding request. "I'm not happy at all" with the Pentagon, he said.
(Singer, Jeremy. Space News, 3/7/05)

US Air Force Lifts Ban on Boeing
Boeing was finally cleared to compete for billions of dollars of satellite launches by the US Air Force this week. The move come at an opportune time for Boeing as a new round of 18-24 satellite launches will soon be up for grabs. The ban, which was enforced when Boeing was discovered to have used proprietary information belonging to Lockheed Martin to help them win a 1998 rocket contract for the EELV, was in place since July, 2003. Boeing has agreed to pay the Air Force the $1.9 million dollars to cover the cost of its reviews and will be relegated to several compliance verification meetings.
(AFP, http://www.spacedaily.com/news/launchers-05r.html, 3/4/05)

 

 

Op-Ed

In his editorial piece, Taylor Dinerman accepts that the Bush Administration's Vision for Space Exploration will require a new heavy-lift launch vehicle. The question is which one? Should NASA buy an upgraded version of the Delta 4 Heavy or a future version of the Atlas 5, or should it go with a shuttle-derived system? He details the various considerations that should be taken into account in determining the answer, such as cost efficiency, the status of future space weapons, among various other questions. The military, allegedly, will be fighting for a Delta 4 or possibly Atlas 5, while in Florida, they will be fighting for a shuttle-derived system. Considering the DoD's future need to launch extremely heavy space equipment, this is a rather important decision. Recent articles suggest that a shuttle-derived system could send up as much as 100 tons into space, and if the costs were controlled enough, the case for developing a shuttle-derived system is strong indeed.
(Dinerman, Taylor. http://www.thespacereview.com/article/335/1, 3/7/05)

 

Credits

Compiled by Chad Kreikemeier
Edited by Suzanne Vogel

 

Space Watch
Week of March 14-18, 2005

Welcome to Space Watch. This is a weekly update compiled by The Eisenhower Institute of the most significant news items in civil, military and commercial space.

If you are interested in receiving a weekly email update version of Space Watch, please send an email to spacewatch@eisenhowerinstitute.org with the word "subscribe" in the subject line. Space Watch will be sent out every Friday.

Civil Space

Mars Program Could Face Changes to Roadmap
Although no final decisions have yet to be made, NASA is looking into major revisions to its planned Mars program due to budgetary, technical, and science-related issues. One of the many possible changes NASA is looking into involves slipping the mobile Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) timeframe from 2009 to 2011. The MSL is considered a "huge leap forward" from the current Mars Exploration Rovers. NASA is also looking into possible international involvement in several of the upcoming Mars programs. The intensively long and expensive Mars project is currently undergoing an extensive campaign of ‘roadmaps,' or ways to flesh out the details of a multi-year Mars effort that could lead to a human in Mars effort by as early as 2030.
(David, Leonard. http://www.space.com/news/mars_overhaul_050311.html, 3/11/05).

Mike Griffin to be Appointed as Head NASA Administrator
The White House has announced the nomination of Mike Griffin, current head of the space department at Johns Hopkins University's Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) to be the next NASA Administrator. Griffin had previously worked with NASA as the agency's associate administrator for exploration under President George H. W. Bush. Griffin, who is a rocket scientist with an MBA, has worked in the Strategic Defence Initiative Organization, and at In-Q-Tel, a private non-profit enterprise funded by the CIA to invest in leading edge technologies. In addition to a doctorate in aerospace engineering, Griffin holds master's degrees in aerospace science, electrical engineering, applied physics, civil engineering, and business administration. Griffin is expected to be confirmed warmly by Congress.
(Berger, Brian. http://www.cnn.com/2005/TECH/space/03/11/nasa.chief/index.html, 3/11/05).

China Set to Participate in Galileo Project
China Galileo Industries, a state-owned Chinese aerospace company, has signed a contract to develop satellite-navigating positioning technology to support the Galileo project, the equivalent to the US GPS system. China has pledged to invest in research and development in the technologies and systems that the Galileo project will necessitate to get off the ground. Considered a dual-use platform, the system will provide data mainly for civilian use in accordance with subscription contracts. China is the first non-EU partner for the project (now Israel is also) and has agreed to invest 200 million Euros over the entire course of the project.
(XNA, http://www.spacedaily.com/news/gps-euro-05d.html, 3/11/05).

Massive Satellite Launched by Atlas 5 Rocket
The Inmarsat 4-F1 satellite that weighs nearly 6 metric tons was successfully launched by an Atlas V launch vehicle this week. This marks the largest payload and the third successful launch for International Launch Services this year. The Inmarsat satellite is one of the largest commercial communications satellites in the world, yet it falls in the middle of the Lockheed Martin-built Atlas V capability range. The Atlas series marks its 76th consecutive successful launch and the fifth for the specific Atlas V vehicle.
(SPX, http://www.spacedaily.com/news/inmarsat-05e.html, 3/11/05).

Israel to Participate in Galileo Project
The EU is expected to support Israeli companies' participation in the European space program, Galileo, the European equivalent of the US GPS system for the commercial market. Israel is expected to invest nearly 15 million euros in the program over the next five years, and an equal amount will be provided by the Europeans in ordering Israeli equipment and technology. Besides Israel, nearly 28 European countries are participating in the Galileo project, which is being run by a private contractor once the initial stage of setting up the network is completed.
(Coren, Ora. http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/551170.html, 3/13/05).

Joint Venture to Oversee European ISS Operations
EADS Space Transportation and Alenia Spazio, a Finmeccanica company, formed a joint venture this week in order to act as the "mediator" between the European Space Agency and those industries involved in the operation and utilization of the International Space Station. Called Euriss, the joint venture will work to execute the so-called "Exploitation Contract," which establishes Euriss as the only contracting partner of ESA for all industrial operation activities regarding the European component of the ISS.
(SPX, http://www.spacedaily.com/news/iss-05za.html, 3/14/05).

Intruders Break in to Baikonur Space Center
According to the RIA Novosti news agency, security forces at the Baikonur Space Center in Kazakhstan have detained unauthorized intruders who broke into the facility to collect pieces of non-ferrous alloys. These alloys could assist nations seeking to improve their missile technology. This is reportedly the second break-in in the past two months. Vyacheslav Davidenko, a Roskosmos spokesman, has indicated that the territory of the space center, and especially the launch pad and the infrastructure, were closely guarded and safely protected.
(MosNews, http://www.mosnews.com/news/2005/03/14/baikonurdetention.shtml, 3/14/05).

China Planning a "Spaceflight Kingdom"
China will begin construction of an 80 hectare "spaceflight kingdom," which will integrate scientific research and production into a new development cradle of Shanghai-made rockets, satellites, and airships. The construction, scheduled to be completed in 2007, will take place in southwest Shanghai in the Minxing District, and will be called the Spaceflight New Area.
(SPX, http://www.spacedaily.com/news/china-05zd.html, 3/15/05).

Russia and France to Collaborate on Future Manned Space Flight
France and Russia have signed an agreement in Paris to collaborate on future carriers and manned space flights. The program is expected to broader to include more European nations and will concentrate on a new generation of spacecraft together with Russia. They hope to have a full system in place by 2020.
(http://en.rian.ru/rian/index.cfm?prd_id=160&msg_id=5462807&startrow=11&find=space, 31/5/05)


Spaceraft Powered by Solar Sails Undergoes Preflight Tests
If all tests go well, an unmanned spacecraft powered by eight triangular solar sail blades named Cosmos 1 is set to be launched in April 2005 from a Russian submarine in the Barents Sea. Currently undergoing preflight testing, Cosmos 1 will be an experiment to study the possibility of using a solar sail as a traction and maneuverability system on a spacecraft already in orbit. Cosmos 1 was built in Russia under a contract with the U.S. Planetary Society.
(UPI, http://www.spacedaily.com/news/solarsails-05b.html, 3/17/05)

Gyroscope Problems on ISS Will Not Delay Shuttle Launch
Despite a decision not to repair a failed circuit breaker which cut power to the International Space Station's backup steering gyroscope, NASA reports that neither the ISS nor the upcoming Space Shuttle launch will be adversely affected. The ISS only requires two gyroscopes to keep the station in its proper orbital position, and a spacewalk is planned for later this summer to install a new remote power controller for the backup gyroscope.
(Kelly, John. http://www.flatoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050318/NEWS02/503180354/1007/news02, 3/18/05)

Commercial

Falcon I Launch Again Delayed
Space Exploration Technologies' new Falcon I rocket will again have to wait as the launch date has been delayed until July. The launch, originally scheduled for January 2004 has slipped several times due to technological issues with the rocket. The launch is expected to carry the Pentagon's experimental TacSat-1 satellite.
(News Briefs. Space News, 3/14/05).

Robert Bigelow Planning to Develop and Launch Inflatable Habitats
Space entrepreneur Robert Bigelow has been busy developing a new system of Earth orbiting inflatable modules that would be available for research, manufacturing, and other uses, including lodging for future space tourists. Bigelow Aerospace is hoping to launch its Genesis Pathfinder spacecraft early next year. The launch will be the first stage in a series of steps designed to place the inflatable habitats into orbit. Bigelow is planning on using the Russian launch services company, Dnepr, in order to launch his Pathfinder module. Robert Bigelow has largely financed this project with his own money. Genesis will have a mass of roughly 1,360 kilograms and will 4.6 meters long. It is expected to double in diameter once in orbit.
(David, Leonard. Space News, 3/14/05).

Military Space

Space Radar Cost Won't Be Determined for Decade
According to Acting Service Secretary of the Air Force, Peter Teets, the USAF will be unable to have a reliable cost estimate for the proposed space radar until early next decade. The proposed constellation of radar satellites would be capable of detecting movement on the ground. There is some controversy as to the radar's specific capabilities, and lawmakers have begun to express concern about the costs of the program. The Air Force has asked for $226 million in 2006 for the Space Radar, and projects spending about $5.3 billion on the effort through 2011. Last year, Congress slashed the $328 million request for the program and allotted only $75 million.
(Singer, Jeremy. Space News, 3/14/05).

DOD's Space Based Infrared System's Cost to Jump
The US Defense Department's SBIRS High program is likely to rise by at least 15 percent according to Air Force officials. The satellite missile warning system was originally expected to cost about $2 billion, but the Air Force's estimate as of late 2004 had grown to nearly $9.9 billion. Due to a law known as the Nunn-McCurdy provision, the DoD must notify Congress when a major program sees an estimated rise in costs of more than 15%. Acting Air Force Secretary Peter Teets has informed Congress that the SBIRS satellite system is expected to rise by at least 15%, and possibly 25%. Program termination, though unlikely, is a possible outcome.
(Singer, Jeremy. Space News, 3/14/05).

Canada Demands Banning Space Weapons
In a speech given to the UN Conference on Disarmament in Geneva, Canada's Foreign Minister Pierre Pettigrew urged the conference to take further action to ban all weapons in space, warning that if the subject remained stalled in Geneva, "we and others will have to look elsewhere...Outer space may be infinite, our patience is not." In a meeting in which no mention of Canada's opting out of the US anti-missile shield was mentioned, Pettigrew took his allotted time to condemn North Korean and Iranian nuclear programs and to warn against the continued drive to weaponize space.
(Koring, Paul. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet//IRAN15/TPInternational/Asia, 3/15/05).

USAF's Common Aero Vehicle Expected To Be Ready by 2010
The Pentagon is hoping to develop and launch its Common Aero Vehicle (CAV), a suborbital space capsule capable of delivering conventional weapons anywhere in the world within two hours, by 2010. The unmanned maneuverable spacecraft would be able to travel at five times the speed of sound and will carry nearly 1,000 pounds of munitions, intelligence sensors, or other payloads. Unlike a missile, according to the USAF, the CAV would be capable of deploying missiles and then returning to its base. Also unlike a missile, one of the CAV's strengths is that commanders can order the CAV not to release its payload if they decide not to follow through with an attack.
(Pincus, Walter, Washington Post, 3/16/05).

Peter Teets, Acting Secretary of the Air Force, Announces Resignation
On March 18th, The Hon. Peter B. Teets announced his resignation as Acting Secretary of the Air Force and Director of the National Reconnaissance Office, effective March 25, 2005. He commented that he was honored to have served the Bush administration and that he was confident that over the course of his tenure, the USAF has "strengthened the world's greatest Air Force to continue providing air and space dominance for the 21st century."
(http://www.defenselink.mil/releases/2005/nr20050318-2244.html, 3/18/05)

 

Op-Ed

Op-Ed: Time for a Space Access Organization
In his op-ed piece, Taylor Dinerman argues that it might be the most opportune time to begin to think about a consolidation in the space access or reusable launch vehicle area. Currently, the DoD has scattered its development of new and low-cost space launch systems throughout a half a dozen organizations and programs, including Air Force Space Command, DARPA, the National Aerospace Initiative, etc. Though he doesn't see any consolidation in the near future, he does suggest that the DoD should begin looking into bringing all of these organizations and people together under a common umbrella. He suggests that this "Space Access Organization" would be able to maintain a central depository of information and expert knowledge, whereas currently, all organizations are finding it difficult to learn from failures, like the X-33 Reusable Launch Vehicle. He summarizes by suggesting that a Space Access Organization which has as its principal goal, supporting a future RLV project, would be a small investment but one that would pay for itself.
(Dinerman, Taylor. http://www.thespacereview.com/article/338/1, 3/14/05).

 

Credits

Compiled by Chad Kreikemeier
Edited by Suzanne Vogel

 

Space Watch
Week of March 21-25, 2005

Welcome to Space Watch. This is a weekly update compiled by The Eisenhower Institute of the most significant news items in civil, military and commercial space.

If you are interested in receiving a weekly email update version of Space Watch, please send an email to spacewatch@eisenhowerinstitute.org with the word "subscribe" in the subject line. Space Watch will be sent out every Friday.

Civil Space

Well-Schooled NASA Chief Faces Difficult Task
Last week, President Bush nominated Michael Griffin, holder of seven academic degrees, as the new chief administrator of NASA. Griffin's biggest and most difficult task is getting NASA out of the shuttle business and on to the President's Vision for Space Exploration. What makes the job even more difficult is Congress' not so positive attitude towards the program. Griffin, only 55 years of age, is excited about the job and realizes that he will not only have to make good use of those seven degrees but also establish some quite effective political savvy. He once stated that he believes that "the human spaceflight program is, in the long run, possibly the most significant activity in which our nation is engaged." He is expected to be resoundingly confirmed by the Senate.
(AP, http://www.cnn.com/2005/TECH/space/03/18/nasa.chief.ap/index.html, 3/18/05).

Some Ex-Astronauts Say NASA Culture Still a Danger
Two prominent ex-astronauts, John Young and James Wetherbee, who have recently left NASA, claim that the agency has been thusfar unable to fix the cultural problems within the agency that helped cause the loss of shuttle Columbia in early 2003. The critics suggest that NASA culture pushes for concerns about cost and scheduling rather than concerns about safety. "We're operating in the same way," says Wetherbee, who admits that he left his job from the safety staff in Houston out of frustration of the lack of progress. Neither critic suggests that the next shuttle flight is in danger, but worry about future missions if the culture doesn't undergo some drastic change.
(Watson, Traci. http://www.usatoday.com/tech/science/space/2005-03-20-nasa-culture_x.htm, 3/20/05).

NASA Shuttle Crew Checking Out Equipment
Shuttle flight commander Eileen Collins and her crew had a chance to work with some of the Space Shuttle Discovery's equipment this week in their preparations for the shuttle's return to space. Targeted for launch between May 15th and June 3rd, the shuttle's return is the first step in the new Vision for Space Exploration put forth by the Bush Administration. It is also an integral step in maintaining the International Space Station. The astronauts performed tests on equipment that would support the planned spacewalks and on the Thermal Protection System, among others. The shuttle is expected to launch a needed gyroscope to the ISS in its first mission.
(SPX, http://www.spacedaily.com/news/shuttle-05x.html, 3/20/05).

France Set to Cooperate With Israel
The Israeli and French space agencies this week decided to work together to jointly launch a satellite in 2008. The satellite was cited to be for "scientific purposes." Israel has fronted nearly $20 million dollars for the satellite, while France has promised $13 million. The satellite, called the Venus satellite, will be built by Israeli companies and launched by a French rocket.
(AFP, http://www.spacedaily.com/2005/050320153954.2zbkk1jq.html, 3/20/05).

Congressional Sub-committee Examines NASA Aeronautics Cuts
Under House Science Space and Aeronautics' subcommittee chair Ken Calvert's first hearing, he devoted his time to the cuts NASA has proposed in order to finance the agency's new space exploration-driven agenda. Even though NASA saw its budget increase in FY06, the agency's Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate saw a budget drop of 6%, assumingly resulting in the loss of a couple of thousand civil servant and contractor jobs at three NASA field centers. Calvert questioned the decisions suggesting a lack of national strategy on the part of NASA, asking "Does NASA have a human capital strategy or are these personnel cuts solely for budget purposes?" Representative Dennis Kucinich suggested that 700 NASA jobs would be lost from a Cleveland field center and about 1100 from Langley's NASA center.
(Berger, Brian. http://www.space.com/spacenews/businessmonday_050321.html, 3/21/05).

DART Program Scheduled for April 15
NASA has decided to set the launch of the Demonstration for Autonomous Rendezvous Technology (DART) spacecraft for no later than April 15th. The DART program is designed to allow spacecrafts orbiting in space to find and rendezvous with other spacecrafts without human interaction. The program has been on hold since it was found to have a leak in the reaction control system in February. During the DART mission, the spacecraft will approach a satellite and perform operations at close-proximity.
(News Briefs, Space Watch, 3/21/05).

France and Russia Cooperate on Space Technology Deal
The French Space Agency, CNES, and Russia's Roskosmos signed an agreement last week in which both agencies agreed to cooperate on future launcher technologies. In the agreement, France has committed to nearly 200 million euros of investment in rocket-development efforts. The agreement mirrors the recent cooperation between the larger ESA and Russia. Critics are suggesting that this could possibly lead to inefficient duplication, but the director of the launcher directorate at CNES suggests, "The idea is to avoid a single line of thinking," and that France should foster its own opinions on the launcher technology subject.
(News Briefs, Space Watch, 3/21/05).

International Space Security Conference Opens In Geneva
An international conference, initiated by China, designed to help prevent an arms race in outer space, opened on Monday in Geneva. The objectives of the conference are to help introduce the concept of ‘space security.' The Chinese ambassador for disarmament, Hu Xiaodi, warned against current trends in space weaponization, saying that "changes in the perception of security, the coming into age of related weapons technologies as well as the developments in combat theories, all lead to the increasing danger of turning outer space into a battlefield." Participants in the conference have included all 65 member states of the Conference on Disarmament and representatives from China, Russia, Canada, and various UN agencies.
(Xinhua General News Service, 3/21/05).

NASA Has Limited Options When Russian Deal Expires
American astronauts have up to now been allowed a seat on board Russian Soyuz spacecraft twice a year to the International Space Station. However, in October, the 11th and final Soyuz that Russia is obligated to offer the US is due to launch from Kazakhstan. Russia's commitment under a 1996 bilateral agreement will at that time will be fulfilled. NASA has admitted that if it wants rides in the future, it will have to pay the Russian space agency in order to do so; however, US law under the Iran Nonproliferation Act prohibits NASA from making any space station-related payments to Russia due to Russian attempts to help Iran with its efforts to develop missiles and other advanced weaponry. This will be most relevant when, in the event of an emergency, a US astronaut will need a way of getting back from the ISS and no shuttle is available.
(Berger, Brian. Space News, 3/21/05).

NASA's Pluto Mission Set To Lift Off
NASA's New Horizons spacecraft, designed to head for Pluto and the Kuiper Belt, is being touted for its liftoff sometime in January. The spacecraft is currently going through a very rigorous test program over the next few months. The probe is nuclear-powered by a radioisotope thermoelectric generator, using heat from the decay of plutonium dioxide to produce electricity. At the end of March, NASA will be hosting meetings designed to answer questions about the probe's objectives and its design. It is set to be launched on board an Atlas 5 rocket and will cross the entire solar system to conduct studies of Pluto by the year 2015.
(Astronotes, http://www.space.com/astronotes/astronotes.html, 3/22/05).

China Helping Track Space Debris
China has established a new tracking station designed to monitor space debris in orbit. The station is called Space Target and Debris Observation and Research Center of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and is located in Nanjing. The hope is that the new station will help protect future manned spacecraft and unmanned satellites.
(Astronotes, http://www.space.com/astronotes/astronotes.html, 3/22/05).

Evidence for Dark Energy Found
An international team of researchers has used computer models supported by observations from the Hubble Space Telescope to find possible dark energy samples in the near vacinity. In the 90's, scientists discovered that the universe was expanding at an ever-increasing pace. They suggested that an unexplained force, called dark energy, was causing the acceleration. The new study helps to confirm the presence of this dark energy closer to home by entering supposed dark energy into a simulation model which had originally been devoid of such energy. The new model perfectly matched with the observed motion of the universe. Though not everyone is convinced, the discovery goes far in helping to prove the existence of dark energy.
(Goudarzi, Sara. http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/050322_dark_energy.html, 3/22/05).

China, Russia Call For International Talks on Space Weapons
China and Russia jointly declared this week that the need for international talks on banning all weaponry in outer space is becoming more and more urgent. They claim that they are still awaiting a response from the US on negotiated proposals that were in development nearly two years ago. Both countries were in attendance at a two-day seminar on the space arms issue that Russia and China had organized alongside the UN Institute for Disarmament Research. The United States was not in attendance at the meeting as a government entity, though some academics from the US were there. US officials have reiterated that there is no need for a treaty about banning weapons and that the danger to the employment of space weapons is minimal. In August, 2003, China had announced it was ready to negotiate talks about a possible treaty, but according to Chinese officials, they have yet to hear back from the US.
(Evans, Robert. http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/world/20050322-0709-arms-space.html, 3/22/05).

Europe to Cooperate With India on Lunar Mission
The ESA Council approved a cooperation agreement between the ESA and the Indian Space Agency for India's first moon mission, the Chandrayaan-1. The Indian Agency, which launched its first satellite in 1975, will mark its first venture into planetary space science with the Chandrayaan-1. Under the agreement, Europe will coordinate and support several of the mission functions, and in return, the data will be made readily available to the ESA Member States. The satellite, which consists of a 1050 kg remote sensing device, is expected to have an operational life space of two years and is scheduled to launch in 2007/2008.
(ESA, http://www.spacedaily.com/news/lunar-05m.html, 3/22/05).

Russia and France Agree to Cooperate on Rocket Launches
The French Prime Minister and the heads of the European Investment Bank signed legal documents paving the way for the use of the Russian carrier rocket Soyuz M-2 to be launched from French Guiana in 2007. The European Investment Bank has issued a loan for the space program which includes nearly $92 million of French government collateral. Some have suggested that the construction cost for the launch pads would be as high as $260 million.
(Mosnews, http://www.mosnews.com/news/2005/03/22/soyuzguyana.shtml, 3/22/05).

Commercial

First Commercial Transmission of a Website Beamed Into Space
A company called Deep Space Communications Network beamed the first commercial transmission of a Web site into space. The content? Craigslist.com. The company has been giving the public chances to send messages to any intergalactic neighbors that might be listening. The service is set to become widely available within the next month. The transmission includes a date and time stamp, as well as an audio track identifying the message as originating from Earth in case any aliens are within earshot.
(Than, Ker. http://www.cnn.com/2005/TECH/space/03/23/craigslist.space/index.html, 3/24/05).

Military Space

Pentagon Developing Spacecraft Capable of Delivering Conventional Weapons
The Pentagon is reportedly developing a suborbital space capsule that, in the next five years, would be launched from the US and could be capable of delivering conventional weapons anywhere in the world. The spacecraft, called the Common Aero Vehicle, is a super-speed craft, capable of carrying up to 1,000 pounds of munitions. The Falcon program, a testbed for the CAV program, is hoping to develop and test a reusable hypersonic cruise vehicle, to be used within the next three years. The plan is to have the Falcon program carry the CAV to anywhere in the world within hours. An advantage to this program is that, unlike a missile, the CAV, once deployed, could be stopped.
(SPX, http://www.spacedaily.com/news/rocketscience-05l.html, 3/18/05).

US Air Force Space Leader Retires
Peter Teets, acting secretary of the US Air Force and the leading Defense Department official on space issues, announced that he is retiring from the force on Friday. Teets, who had been the Air Force's undersecretary since late 2001, has stated that he will leave the force on March 25th. Teets has also been the director of the NRO and had overseen all major space-related programs within the US military.
(http://www.defenselink.mil/releases/2005/nr20050318-2244.html, 3/19/05).

 

Op-Ed

Op-Ed: Defending Air Force Space Doctrine
In his op-ed, Lawrence Cooper defends the Air Force against a growing stream of criticism about their promulgation of a space-control doctrine which they would consider to be "trigger-happy" and could possibly lead to an arms race and an unnecessary war. Critics are especially quick to criticize the Air Force's supposed "worst-case/first-case scenario" that any disruption of a space system is potentially the result of an attack. Cooper purports, however, that it is the Air Force's job to worry about the worst-case scenario, and that certain technologies do in fact currently exist that threaten our space assets. He claims that the Air Force is there to think of and look at all of the possibilities, questions, and answers. He states that the Air Force "is not going to decide to shoot first," and that it is "the Air Force's job to plan for and advocate systems, while the Joint Staff, the OSD and the NSC hash out the strategies and priorities."
(Cooper, Lawrence. http://www.airforcetimes.com/print.php?f=0-AIRPAPER-722311.php, 3/28/05).

 

Credits

Compiled and Edited by Chad Kreikemeier

 

Space Watch
Week of March 28 - April 1, 2005

Welcome to Space Watch. This is a weekly update compiled by The Eisenhower Institute of the most significant news items in civil, military and commercial space.

If you are interested in receiving a weekly email update version of Space Watch, please send an email to spacewatch@eisenhowerinstitute.org with the word "subscribe" in the subject line. Space Watch will be sent out every Friday.

Civil Space

Russia Planning on Increasing Its Satellite Arsenal
Russia is planning to triple its scientific and civilian satellites in orbit by the year 2010, according to Anatoly Perminov, head of Roskosmos. At present, Russia can claim nearly 53 satellites that are in orbit, 35 of which are scientific or commercial. According to Perminov, the annual federal space program budget has been consistently growing by 7 or 8 percent. At least 15 civilian, military, and dual-purpose satellites are scheduled for launch in 2005, and they are planning on replacing all old spacecraft by the year 2007.
(UPI, http://www.spacedaily.com/news/gps-05zt.html, 3/23/05).

Assessing the Risk of Space Debris
As everybody knows, both known and unknown pieces of space debris can cause major problems for operational spacecraft and satellites in orbit around the Earth. Smaller, unknown debris which range from 1 to 10 cm in size cause the real worry to spacecraft mission personnel. These are simply too small and numerous to be individually tracked. According to Dr. Heiner Klinkrad, a debris specialist in Germany, "If you calculate the combined area of all satellites in orbit, you find that the average time between destructive collisions is about 10 years." One destructive collision per decade is a serious risk for multi-billion dollar satellite systems. Scientists are currently developing orbital debris models in order to better understand and evaluate the risk posed by space debris.
(SPX, http://www.spacedaily.com/news/debris-05a.html, 3/24/05).

Italian Prepares for His Second ISS Trip
Roberto Vittori, an Italian ESA astronaut, is preparing to undertake another mission to the International Space Station. As a part of the Marco Polo mission in April of 2002, Vittori spent ten days aboard the ISS. The current mission, named the Eneide mission, is set to blast off on April 15th. Vittori will be the flight engineer aboard the Soyuz capsule, and with him will be the newest crew to the ISS, Russian cosmonaut Sergei Krikalev and American astronaut John Phillips. Returning with the current crew of Chiao and Sharipov, Vittori will once again stay on board the ISS for ten days. This will mark the tenth time a Soyuz launcher has sent astronauts to the Space Station.
(ESA, http://www.spacedaily.com/news/iss-05zf.html, 3/27/05).

ISS Crew Work Outside of the Station
ISS Commander Leroy Chiao and his Russian crewmate, Salizhan Sharipov, left the space station for the second time in as many months in order to install antennas and release a ‘baby Sputnik.' The spacewalk lasted nearly 4 ½ hours and was finished nearly an hour earlier than expected. The satellite that was released, called Nanosputnik, is a one foot long, 11 pound system which is designed for experimental maneuvering by ground controllers. The only complication seemed to be from the stabilization system which has been causing problems onboard the ISS for the last couple of weeks. The crew is close to completing their mission as a fresh two-man crew will relieve them some time next month.
(AP, http://www.cnn.com/2005/TECH/space/03/28/space.station.ap/index.html, 3/28/05)

NASA's Deep Impact Heads Into Cruise Phase
NASA's Deep Impact spacecraft, set to smash into an oncoming comet, completed the commissioning phase of its mission yesterday and has moved into the cruise phase. The mission planners have divided the mission into 5 different phases with the last one setting course for the Tempel 1 comet for impact on July 4, 2005. The commissioning phase consisted of verifying the basic state of health of all subsystems and instruments. One slight problem found is that the telescope to be used to detail the impact is not in perfect focus. A special team has been formed to try to alleviate the problem.
(SPX, http://www.spacedaily.com/news/comet-05g.html, 3/28/05).

Asteroid Impact Led to Global Fire, Scientists Say
The asteroid that struck the Yucatan Peninsula 65 million years ago, was presumably the event that led to the extinction of the dinosaurs. The huge collision by itself could not have killed off all of the formerly living animals. Instead, scientists are suggesting that the collision unleashed a worldwide downpour of tiny mineral droplets, called spherules. The spherules might have heated the atmosphere to a strong enough degree that a global fire was created. Evidence of this apocalyptic fireball has been gathered from data of spherules taken around the world and recently released.
(Schirber, Michael. http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/050328_asteroid_impact.html, 3/28/05).

Long-awaited European ATV Launch Set for 2006
Preparations are finally being made for the launch of the European Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV) and are expected to be completed this autumn for a likely launch date in the spring of 2006. As perhaps one of the most complicated machines ever developed by ESA, the much-delayed ATV is expected to weigh nearly 20,750 kilograms at launch, and is designed to launched into orbit by a modified Ariane 5 rocket. The ATV is designed to dock with the ISS and deliver 10,000 kg of fuel and other supplies, then be filled with some 6,300 kg of garbage to be sent on its way to a controlled destructive reentry into Earth's atmosphere where it will disintegrate. EADS has a contract that will allow the team to build six more of these ATV's, as one will be launched every 18 months for the ISS. The contract is valued at nearly $1.3 billion dollars.
(de Selding, Peter. http://www.space.com/spacenews/050328_business_monday.html, 3/28/05).

US and Japan Agree to Back-Up Satellite Cooperation
The Japanese Meteorological Agency and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration have agreed to terms on a long-term commitment to guarantee continuous satellite coverage of the continental United States and the Western Pacific, in case either agency experiences a spacecraft failure. Under the commitment, the two organizations agree to provide short-term geostationary back-up coverage in an emergency and monitor severe weather that could threaten both nations. All of this would be done at no cost to the backed-up country. "Weather and climate impacts everyone in the world, so we need to ensure the systems and back ups for those systems are in place for the benefit of all humanity," says Greg Withee, assistant administrator for NOAA's Satellite and Information Service.
(SPX, http://www.spacedaily.com/news/weather-05p.html, 3/28/05).

Commission Endorses the Next ISS Crew
An interdepartmental commission endorsed the eleventh ISS crew this week. The crew will consist of Russian cosmonaut Sergei Krikalev and American John Phillips. Italian astronaut Roberto Vittori will lift off with them and return to earth with the current ISS crew after spending 10 days on board the station. The crew plans to perform two space walks and will theoretically receive the first two US space shuttles since the Columbia disaster. The Soyuz space ferry is scheduled to launch on April 15, 2005 from the Baikonur Space center.
(Ria Novosti, http://en.rian.ru/=5480315&startrow=1&date=2005-03-29&do_alert=0, 3/29/05).

Russia Looking at Nuclear Power for Deep Space Exploration
Russia has begun looking into the development of nuclear-powered spacecraft in order to conduct deep space operations in the future. VP of the Kurchatov Institute National Research Center, Nikolai Ponomarev-Stepnoi, suggests that Russia could develop and build a nuclear-powered engine and propulsion unit by the year 2017 if the decision was adopted to do to pursue such means. According to Ponomarev-Stepnoi, most countries believe that long-range space flights will only be possible with nuclear propulsion units. Radiation concerns continue to be the main deterrent in such endeavors, but the Kurchatov Institute plans to conduct experiments within the year onboard the ISS in order to assess the dangers of secondary radiation on the human body.
(Ria Novosti, http://en.rian.ru/rian/index.cfm?prd_id=160&msg_id=5480788&startrow=1&date=2005-03-29&do_alert=0, 3/29/05).

Russian Communication Satellite Launched Successfully
A Russian Proton rocket successfully launched and inserted a next-generation Russian communications satellite on Tuesday night. The satellite is designed to reach over a billion people across large parts of Asia. The Proton-K booster lifted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome launch site in Kazakhstan and successfully placed the Express AM-2 satellite into geostationary orbit. The satellite will be operated by the Russian Satellite Communications Company for state and commercial use. It is the first of its type and weighs nearly 5,720 pounds with a lifetime of nearly 12 years.
(Clark, Stephen. http://www.spaceflightnow.com/news/n0503/30proton/, 3/30/05).

 

Commercial

Boeing Modifies Its Commercial Communications Satellites
The Boeing Company is planning on introducing a new line of its largest satellite and retiring the aging model. The modification in planning will result in a lighter version of the Boeing 702 model, the company's largest commercial satellite. It will be designated as the 702-B and will feature on-orbit processing systems making it easier to adjust the coverage areas and services offered by the satellite after launch. In the same modification, the company is planning to retire the Boeing 376, its smallest commercial model, considered obsolete in the commercial industry.
(http://www.eisenhowerinstitute.org/programs/globalpartnerships/fos/newfrontier/www.spacetoday.net, 3/28/05).

Cablevision Fight For Satellite Escalates
Cablevision chairman Charles Dolan is defiantly going against his own board and his son in attempting to block the company's sale of a satellite spectrum, vital to his planned $400 million rescue of the Voom satellite TV service. Dolan has filed a 53-page claim hoping to block the deal with the Federal Communications Commission, calling the deal anti-competitive. The Cablevision board had already voted in December to shut down or sell Voom, and Dolan's son, James Dolan signed a deal in January to sell its lone satellite to EchoStar Communications for $200 million. Echostar expected the deal to pass the FCC within three to six months.
(Berkowitz, Harry. http://www.newsday.com/business/printedition/ny-bzvoom4195728mar30,0,3608199.story?coll=ny-business-print, 3/30/05).

 

Military Space

Conference on Safeguarding Space Security Concludes
The participants in this week's International Conference on Safeguarding Space Security in Geneva have admitted that existing norms do not protect against co-orbital space weapons. The conference, organized by Russia, China, and the UN Institute for Disarmament Research, held discussions concerning possible and plausible threats to space and the possible negative consequences of positioning weapons in orbit for strategic stability. The conference attendees were in favor of actions to prevent the weaponization of space, but they admitted that existing norms do not currently ban the placement of weapons in space.
(Ria Novosti, http://en.rian.ru/rian/index.&startrow=1&date=2005-03-24&do_alert=0, 3/24/05).

Russia Pondering Launching Satellites from Mig-31 Fighters
Russia and Kazakhstan are apparently discussing the possibility of launching satellites from Russian fighter jets, according to Roskosmos. At a recent meeting between the Kazakh Prime Minister Akhmetov and the Moscow-based Heat Engineering Institute director Yuri Solomonov, they discussed the creation of the Ishim aerospace rocketry system which would launch small satellites from a Russian MiG-31 jet fighter. The project is being designed for non-military spacecraft into the near-earth orbit. The agencies have set up a working group to conduct a comprehensive feasibility study.
(Ria Novosti, http://en.rian.ru/rian/index.cfm?&startrow=11&date=2005-03-25&do_alert=0, 3/25/05).

Arms Experts are Worried About US Plans of Space Superiority
At a recent conference in Geneva, numerous state officials discussed the dangers and likelihood of weapons in space. Arms control advocates in the US were in attendance and they have begun to express a growing concern about the Bush administration's push for military superiority in space. A series of Air Force and Pentagon doctrinal documents have further fueled this concern, as they call upon the services to develop weapons that would help achieve space superiority. Pentagon officials, including General Richard Meyers, make no secret about the need to protect space systems that are integral to the functioning of the US military.
(Pincus, Walter. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A7995-2005Mar28.html, 3/29/05).

 

Op-Ed

Op-Ed: Space Based Radar Dilemma
Taylor Dinerman, in his recent op-ed article, discusses the problems associated with the Air Force's new Space Based Radar development. He asserts that in our current drive toward a more network-centric military, the US is going to require near constant surveillance of the Earth's surface. This problem is determined to be solved by the Space-based Radar project, a constellation of at least nine satellites in orbit that will be smaller, harder to detect, and more maneuverable than any other surveillance satellite system around. If it acts how it is billed, it will help cement US space information superiority for the 2015-2025 decade. Dinerman, however, details that the new system will require massive amounts of power that simply can't be provided for by current proposals. Another problem is imagery distribution. The project will be an overwhelmingly difficult technological project, and Congress has, for many years, resisted the funding for the SBR. Dinerman suggests that the Air Force should spend more time developing the basic technology and science for the SBR than in actually attempting to get funding for the program itself.
(Dinerman, Taylor. http://www.thespacereview.com/article/344/1, 3/28/05).

For Your Entertainment (April Fool's Edition)

Bush Cancels Space Shuttle Program
(http://www.spacedaily.com/news/rocketscience-05o.html, 4/1/05)

Credits

Compiled by Chad Kreikemeier
Edited by Suzanne Vogel