September 2006
Space Watch
Week of September 4 - September 8, 2006
Space Watch is BACK!!!
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.
New Update
NASA Delays Shuttle Launch Again; Hopes to Launch Tomorrow
NASA once again was forced to delay the launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis, this time due to a faulty fuel tank sensor, a problem that has scuttled shuttle missions in the past. The launch was tentatively rescheduled today for 11:15 EDT on Saturday, September 9th. This will be NASA's fourth attempt at a successful launch. Lightning, Tropical Storm Ernesto and a fuel cell coolant pump have caused the previous delays. NASA postponed this particular launch with nearly 45 minutes to go before liftoff. The fuel tank sensor problem has made problems for the previous shuttle launch, when the Space Shuttle Discovery was grounded for almost two months so the sensors could be replaced. The shuttle's mission is to haul two girders and solar panels to the International Space Station. Saturday will present NASA engineers with only a five minute launch window as the Russians are planning to launch a Soyus capsule on September 18th. Both crafts cannot be at the ISS at the same time.
(AP, http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14731275/, 9/8/06).
Civil Space
Lockheed Begins Work on Orion Contract
Now that Lockheed Martin has won the $8 billion contract to develop the Orion spacecraft, the successor to NASA's much-maligned and long-serving shuttle program, the company is set to get to work immediately on the project. "Work already is under way and we are fully focused on the vital tasks that lie ahead to meet NASA's requirements for the program," says Lockheed's executive vice president for space systems Joanne Maguire. The first phase of the program will consist of Orion's design, development, testing, and evaluation and will likely last until 2013. Lockheed hopes to transport astronauts to the International Space Station on board an Orion module by 2014 and to the moon by 2020. NASA expects that most of the program's work will be done at the Johnson Space Center in Houston. Lockheed suggests that the program might bring 1200 new engineering and software development jobs to the Houston area.
(Coppinger, Rob. http://www.flightglobal.com/Articles/2006/09/05/.html, 9/5/06)
Lunar Probe Successfully Smashes Into Moon
With last week's successful collision of Europe's SMART-1 spacecraft into the moon's surface, astronomers have now begun attempts to obtain and interpret the details of the mission's final seconds. The probe was designed to test new technologies and to help map the moon's surface over the course of the last several weeks prior to its scheduled plummet to the lunar surface. It landed in what is known as the Lake of Excellence. The mission was seen by most astronomers as a stunning success. According to scientists on the mission, the aircraft likely slammed into a mountainside as it collided with the moon and kicked up debris, some of which flew across 80 kilometers of ground in just a few minutes. Scientists will continue to study the effects of the probe's landing.
(Muir, Hazel. http://www.newscientistspace.com/article/dn10015-smart1-may-have-slammed-into-lunar-mountainside.html, 9/7/06).
China to Launch New Oceanic Satellite
According to Chinese scientists, the country plans to launch into orbit a new advanced version of its Haiyang 1-A oceanic satellite by the end of this year. The satellite is designed, according to China's Commission of Science Technology and Industry, to monitor marine environment and disasters by observing sea surface height, waves, currents, and sea temperatures. According to the state's Oceanic Administration, the new satellite would be one of China's most important satellites. The first such satellite, the original Haiyang 1-A was successfully launched in May 2002 and lasted for nearly two years. The hoped-for lifespan of the newest version is three years.
(Xinhua. http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2006-09/08/content_5065919.htm, 9/8/06).
Mars Rover Keeps on Chugging
Defying all predictions and estimations, the Mars Opportunity rover still continues to function millions of miles away from its base and nearly two and a half years longer than originally expected. The most recent findings coming from the Opportunity rover have given scientists more reason to believe that Mars at one time had water on its surface. The robot, this week, found mineral crystals that most likely came from long-vanished salty water patches on the planet's surface. Present evidence aside, scientists continue to be astounded with the durability of the little robot. "We're just as amazed as everyone else that the spacecraft is still in great condition and still operating so beautifully," said project scientist Bruce Barendt. Originally predicted to last only 3 months, the rover is now on well into its third year of work. Scientists say that the rover is nearly 5.6 miles from its landing point on Martian surface. The other rover, the Spirit rover, is also still functioning, but recent problems have led to a somewhat worn engine.
(Perlman, David. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2006/09/08/MNG5TL0AOJ32.DTL, 9/8/06).
New Horizons Sends Back First Pictures
NASA's New Horizons mission, a spacecraft which was launched in January, sent its first images from the craft's high resolution camera back to Earth this week. The New Horizons project, designed and built by John Hopkins University, is set to reach Pluto (whose new "dwarf planet" status has just been established) sometime in 2015. The spacecraft, which is thought to be the fastest spacecraft ever built is traveling at 14.45 miles per second, and is nearly 322 miles from the sun. The craft must still travel nearly 2.63 billion more miles in order to reach Pluto. All seven instruments on the craft have been determined to be working as expected. The instruments won't be tested again until February 28 as it flies by Jupiter.
(Baltimore Sun, http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/,print.story?ctrack=1&cset=true, 9/8/06).
Commercial
Numerous Private Launches in Store for the rest of 2006
As the commercial launch industry nears the end of 2006, it appears that a bevy of private launches are scheduled over the coming months, making 2006 a big year for the private space industry. The first launch in this flurry of activity came in July as hotel magnate Robert Bigelow launched an inflatable private space-station module from Russia. Among the newest launch plans include the X Prize Cup in October. The event is a showcase for rocket technology, and this year it features a NASA-sponsored challenge to demonstrate a rocket which can take off and land vertically. Also in the works is a new attempt by Space X to launch its Falcon 1 rocket from the Pacific Ocean. An attempt earlier this year to do so ended in failure. Headlining these new launches is the hoped-for tourist space plane, developed in a partnership between Virgin Galactic's Richard Branson and investor Burt Rutan. They hope to launch their commercial craft by 2008.
(Chandler, David, http://www.technologyreview.com/read_article.aspx?id=17405&ch=biztech, 9/6/06).
Sea Launch Gets Another Contract
Sea Launch, a consortium company which includes US, Russian and Ukrainian companies has signed yet another launch contract, this time for two European Eutelsat satellites. Eutelsat will decide later which two of its four satellites will be launched by Sea Launch. Ariannespace is expected to win the other two contracts. The Sea Launch consortium was created in 1995 by Boeing, the Russian company Energia, and others. It is the only company in the world which launches payloads from a sea platform in the Pacific Ocean. The sea launch allows it to launch heavier systems than other platforms.
(Eutelsat: http://www.eutelsat.com/news/compress/en/2006/pdf/PR%204006%20Sea%20Launch.pdf, 9/6/06).
Opinion/Editorial
Capt Eugene Cernan: Orion, a new frontier and the last man on the Moon
In his opinion piece in the San Francisco Chronicle this week, Captain Eugene Cernan, the last man to visit the moon, argues that NASA's recent Orion announcement is a huge step forward for a space policy that could use some help. NASA announced that Lockheed Martin will begin work on the replacement for the nation's shuttle program. The successor, called the Orion project, will be a cone-shaped crew exploration vehicle capable of taking astronauts to the moon. Cernan suggests that the announcement is the first of many concrete steps for President Bush's new Vision for Space Exploration and will eventually be a great investment in our future which stimulates the "young minds and hearts" of a new generation of space farers. He argues that the public is ready for this new program, and that though the impact of the program may be small now, it will eventually allow the next generations of minds to "cross a new frontier."
(Cernan, Eugene. http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/editorial/outlook/4171432.html, 9/7/06).
Lev Zeleny: Is Golden Age of Russian Space Science Still Ahead?
In his opinion piece in this week's RIA Novosti, Lev Zeleny, a member of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the Director of the RAS Institute for Space Research, argues that despite the troubled times of the past several years, Russia still remains a "great space power." Zeleny cites the fact that Russia accounted for nearly 40% of the world's carrier missile launches since 2001. He goes on to argue, however, that Russia is falling behind with respect to space science and technology. He laments the fact that the majority of these launches were commercial launches of foreign space vehicles, and in the last fifteen years, Russia has only put into orbit three research satellites. He suggests that the reason for this drastic drop-off has been a decrease in funding for space research. Despite this hindrance, Zeleny sees that the situation is actually changing for the better in many respects. Russia is expected to launch from eight to ten of its own space vehicles between 2010 and 2012. There are several promising Russian space research projects, and its space budget was one-third bigger in 2005 than it was in 2004. That number should grow by yet another quarter in 2006. Zeleny leaves the impression that though Russia has some catching up to do, the prospects for remaining a "great space power" look very promising.
(RIA Novosti, http://en.rian.ru/analysis/20060904/53468937.html, 9/4/06).
Space Watch
Week of September 10 - September 15, 2006
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 and China Enhance Space Cooperation
According to the Russian space chief, the Russian Federation is prepared to cooperate closely with China on its moon exploration designs. The two countries may sign a space cooperation agreement by the end of this year according to Anatoly Perminov, head of the Russian Federal Space Agency. "Russia is ready for close cooperation with China in the field [of space]," said Perminov. "This is a serious and quite promising field of cooperation." In the past, the collaboration between the two amounted predominantly to the sales of Russian equipment to China, but the prospects of joint lunar research seems to be one of the new priorities with regard to space policy. Perminov also hinted that China may collaborate on Russia's Mars probe project set for 2009.
(Yahoo News, http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060911/ap_on_sc/russia_china_space, 9/11/06).
Remembering 9-11: Astronaut Crew Sees "Awful" Scene
Veteran Russian cosmonaut Mikhail Tyurin, though he was one of only three people who were not on the planet on September 11, 2001, recalls that the horrors of that day did not escape even him. "It was absolutely awful," says Tyurin. As the three astronauts on board the International Space Station that day were nearly half-way through their workday, they were told by ground stations that something awful had happened. Having realized that their station would soon be orbiting over New York, they set up the available video and still cameras and attempted to locate the disaster. "And then we saw it from space," recalls Tyurin. "The scale was absolutely...I cannot explain it." Their view allowed them to see smoke coming from the site of the attacks. As US astronaut Frank Culbertson, who was also onboard the ISS at the time would alter recount, "The dichotomy of being on a spacecraft dedicated to improving life on Earth and watching life being destroyed by such willful, terrible acts is just jolting to the psyche, no matter who you are."
(Halvorson, Todd. http://www.flatoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060913/NEWS02/609130350/1007, 9/13/06).
NASA Administrator Set for China Visit
NASA's Chief Administrator Mike Griffin is busy preparing for his official visit to China at the end of the month. Currently, Griffin is expected to stop in Beijing and Shanghai to get a good look at China's growing space program from September 24th until September 28th. Many have asked, however, what exactly Mr. Griffin is expecting to accomplish by the trip. Griffin himself has called it simply a "get acquainted" visit. He refused to set any expectations. Pundits are suggesting that the most important thing for Griffin to accomplish on the trip is to start to clear up the miscommunication that has plagued the US-China relationship with regards to space over the last decade or so. The real goal of the trip, according to many experts, is strictly political, not technological. The US hope is that the visit will begin to sway the Chinese people's opinion of the US and its intentions.
(David, Leonard. http://space.com/news/060813_griffin_china.html, 9/13/06).
Lost Bolt Initiates Debate on Danger of Debris
This past week, the NASA space team accomplished a series of tasks on one of its planned space walks including the activation of a new solar power module on the outside of the station. The $372 million module was bolted into place by the astronauts. Unfortunately, in the process, one of the screws actually floated away. What appears as a silly problem actually could cause a very tragic issue in the future. The lost bolts become yet another object that orbits the earth at an incredibly fast, and incredibly dangerous, speed. According to scientists, the new debris is likely to orbit the earth for nearly six months before it will likely fall back into the atmosphere. Though the amount of debris increases with every such accident, George Levin, from the National Academies of Science, suggests that the threat is a "statistical problem of what is the probability you will get hit by one of these things." "The chances are not very high," he says.
(Carreau, Mark. http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/space/4185631.html, 9/14/06).
Solar Panels on ISS Successfully Opened
Though astronauts on board the International Space Station had previously had quite a difficult time in installing a new solar panel array, it appears that the mission has been accomplished as the new solar array was successfully unfurled on Thursday. "This flight has gone better than my wildest dreams," said the space station program manager, Michael T. Suffredini, after the successful deployment. The hardware problems which dogged the mission included a loss of two bolts into space and a computer software problem that temporarily disabled one of the panel's motors. Despite the setbacks, the mission was successfully concluded. Suffredini said, "If you told me before flight that these are the only issues we'd have to deal with in the program, I would have taken that and run." The solar panels are there to supply the ISS with an additional source of energy. It is the first major addition to the station in nearly four years.
(Schwartz, John. http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/15/science/space/15shuttle.html?ref=science, 9/15/06).
Planet Xena Renamed and Reclassified
Astronomers have finally decided on a name for the distant planet-like body whose discovery eventually led to the demotion of Pluto from planet-status. The new world will be aptly named Eris, after the Greek goddess of discord. Eris, which is larger than Pluto, is now a part of the new classification of bodies called "dwarf planets." Pluto is now also considered a dwarf planet. The newest member of our solar system whose original nickname was Xena - after the television character - was discovered on January 8, 2005 in California. In mythology, Eris caused a quarrel among all of the goddesses that eventually sparked the Trojan War, not unlike the dwarf planet, whose discovery caused a quarrel among astronomers everywhere.
(BBC News, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/5344892.stm, 9/15/06).
New Planet Puzzles Scientists
A planet has been found by astronomers which is reportedly as wide as Jupiter with half the mass. Oddly enough, this gives the planet less density than cork. This puzzling composition makes it appear puffy and now baffles astronomers as to how it formed. "The short answer is, I have no idea," says Dimitar Sasselov, a professor of astronomy at Harvard. "It's a very strange planet." The planet is currently orbiting a star in the constellation Lacerta which is nearly 450 light years away. It is actually the second ‘puffy' planet to be found orbiting that star, which makes scientists wonder if there is a whole class of planets out there with such a strange density. The newest findings were released at a news conference at the Smithsonian Institution this week.
(Chang, Kenneth. http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/15/science/space/15planet.html?_r=2&ref=science&oref=slogin&oref=slogin, 9/15/06).
Commercial
Spaceports Seen as the Future of the Space Industry
As the space industry's newest spaceport begins to undergo construction near the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico, it is becoming more and more evident that the next space race is well underway. According to market estimates, the new commercial space tourism market may generate more than $1 billion in annual revenue by the year 2020. Currently, the world's 35 functioning spaceports are all controlled by government entities; however, at least eight private ones are in the planning or construction stages throughout the world. New Mexico's newest commercial space entity, Spaceport America, is one of those private endeavors. And demand continues to grow. According to the same market estimates, nearly 15,000 passengers will be willing to pay upwards of $700 million for suborbital flights alone. Other spaceport proposals have been popping up in the rest of the US as California, Wisconsin, Texas, and Oklahoma are all looking to grab a share of this new market.
(Madrid, Allen. http://msnbc.msn.com/id/14752521/site/newsweek/, 9/11/06).
Rocket League Beginning to Take Off
At the X-Prize Cup next month in Las Cruces, New Mexico, visitors will get the chance to see the newest type of racing vehicle in the world - the rocket racer. The newest vehicles will debut at the X-Prize cup, but they will make up a brand new sport when the Rocket Racing League finally takes off. The League will pit rocket racers against each other in a playing field that includes an airspace reaching nearly 10,000 feet long, 3,000 feet wide, and 5,000 feet high. The speeders may reach maximum speeds of nearly 320 miles per hour and will be carrying a 1,500 pound thrust rocket which burns liquid oxygen and kerosene. Though the technology is already available to promote these races, the league is deciding to hold off for the time being until they are prepared to push forward from a business perspective.
(David, Leonard. http://space.com/news/060914_xprize_racers.html, 9/14/06).
Opinion/Editorial
Op-Ed: Japanese Newspaper Wants Better Spy Satellites
In its recent editorial, the Yomiuri Shimbun argues that Japan needs to quickly improve the capability of its spy satellite program in order to better bolster its national security. The editorial comes on the heels of Japan's recent successful launch of the H-2A rocket and its insertion of the nation's third spy satellite. The editorial offers that the intelligence-gathering project was formulated back in 1998 when North Korea launched a Taepodong-1 ballistic missile which landed near Japan's boundaries. The Yomiuri Shimbun argues that the three systems in place, however, are not nearly enough to protect the country from the threat posed by North Korea. It simply does not provide enough resolution. Until that happens, Japan will continue to be solely reliant on US for access to intelligence about North Korea and other threatening nations in the region.
(Yomiuri Shimbun, http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/editorial/20060913TDY04006.htm, 9/13/06).
Oddly Enough
Madonna Space Trip Nixed
Unfortunately for many fans of the super-diva, Madonna will not be shot into space. The Russian Duma has now officially turned down one of its members' requests to launch Madonna as a ‘space tourist' on board a Russian Soyuz rocket in 2008. Contrary to reports, the Russian space agency will not have any available seats until 2009. But hope continues to persist. "Taking into account her good physical preparedness and financial capabilities, the dream of a Madonna space flight could be realized in 2009," says the agency's spokesman Igor Panarin.
(AP, http://www.cnn.com/2006/SHOWBIZ/Music/09/14/madonna.space.ap/index.html, 9/14/06).
Space Watch
Week of September 18 - September 22, 2006
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
ISS Smoke Leads to Station Emergency
In a rather tense moment on the International Space Station, NASA briefly declared a station emergency when the three-man ISS crew reported that there was smoke in the cabin. The source of the problem actually turned out to be an overheated oxygen generator and a chemical spill. The emergency started when Russian cosmonaut Pavel Vinogradov smelled a strong odor and saw smoke coming from the oxygen generator he was working on. He looked closer and noticed a clear fluid leaking from the machine. The crew immediately set off a fire alarm and put on surgical masks and goggles. After the initial emergency declaration, the astronauts cleaned up the fluid, suspected to be potassium hydroxide, and returned to normal operations soon thereafter. Despite the tense moment, NASA says that at no time did it consider having the crew enter the Soyuz rocket.
(Schwartz, John. http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/19/science/space/19station.html, 9/19/06).
National Academy Wants US to Return to Moon
The National Academy of Sciences this week officially supported NASA in its quest to return to the moon, suggesting that lunar exploration will open the way toward broader studies of the solar system and beyond. "The moon is priceless to planetary scientists," said the NAS report released on Tuesday. The report was in response to a request from NASA for the scientists to evaluate the space agency's plans for human exploration of the moon. "Only by returning to the moon to carry out new scientific exploration can we hope to close the gaps in understanding and learn the secrets that the moon alone has kept for eons," said the panel. The committee which was made up of scientists, journalists, and private space industry representatives, will release a more detailed report on its findings sometime in mid-2007. The current report was released following on the heels of NASA's decision to award Lockheed Martin the huge contract to develop and test the Orion manned lunar space craft.
(AP, http://www.cnn.com/2006/TECH/space/09/19/return.to.the.moon.ap/index.html, 9/19/06).
Iranian-American Female Space Tourist Safely on Board ISS
The world's first female space tourist is reportedly enjoying her stay on board the International Space Station. Anousheh Ansari, a 40-year old Iranian-American entrepreneur, successfully arrived this week as a tourist on a Russian Soyuz rocket. She is scheduled to stay on the station for 11 days. According to Thomas Reiter, the German astronaut on board, she is keeping busy taking pictures and contacting home while the other astronauts continue their work on the station. The two crew members that came up with Ansari are scheduled to stay on board the ISS for a six month stay. The current residents of the ISS are scheduled to return with Ansari next week.
(Reuters, http://www.cnn.com/2006/TECH/space/09/22/space.tourist.reut/index.html, 9/22/06).
ESA's Spacecraft Shows Face on Mars
The European Space Agency's Mars Express spacecraft obtained some of the most spectacular images to date of the famous "Face on Mars" phenomenon. The Face, which is located in what is called the Cydonia region of Mars, has been the subject of much academic and also not-so-academic discussion over the last several years. The images came from the extremely High Resolution Stereo Camera on board the Express and are unprecedented in spectacular detail. "They not only provide a completely fresh and detailed view of an area famous to fans of space myths worldwide," says the project's Scientist, Dr. Agustin Chicarro, "but they also provide an impressive close-up over an area of great interest for planetary geologists." The Face was originally seen back in 1976 by the American Viking 1 Orbiter and has been the subject of much speculation.
(ESA, http://www.marsdaily.com/reports/MarsExpress_Exposes_The_Face_Of_Mars_999.html, 9/22/06).
After Space Scare, Atlantis Lands Safely in Florida
Space Shuttle Atlantis landed smoothly without problems during a pre-dawn landing in Florida on Thursday. The near-perfect landing occurred after a short day-long delay due to possible space debris issues. A preliminary inspection of the shuttle's underside revealed no discernible damage. "She looks as good or better than Discovery did after her last mission," said Michael D. Leinbach, the shuttle launch director. The success may allow NASA to lift their daytime only launch restriction. The space shuttle landed at 6:21 am at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida after traveling nearly 4.91 million miles.
(Chang, Kenneth. http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/22/science/space/22shuttle.html?_r=1&ref=science&oref=slogin, 9/22/06).
Military
ESA Discusses Space Security
The European Space Agency and the French Space Agency (CNES) convened a special conference on space, defense, and European security this week in Kourou, French Guiana. Representatives from numerous European national parliaments attended as well as European Parliament representatives and leaders in Europe's private space industries. The conference was designed to discuss the various technological and industrial capacities needed in order to achieve a common European Space policy with respect to security and defense.
(ESA, http://www.spacewar.com/reports/European__999.html, 9/19/06).
Missile Defense Has Good Month
After a rough couple of years, the US ballistic missile defense program had a much-needed successful month of tests and trials in September. One of the successes occurred on September 1st when a Ground-based Midcourse Interceptor fired from California successfully hit and destroyed an ICBM fired from Alaska. It was the first successful test for the program in nearly four years. The success may give a timely boost to the program's champions in Congress. In fact, four days after the success, NATO announced that it had approved construction of a $90 million ballistic missile defense command and control system over the next six years. In addition to that success, on September 14th, the space corporation Alliant Techsystems (ATK) carried out their second successful test of the new Kinetic Energy Interceptor rocket. The test burn demonstrated the possibility of the three-stage rocket being a high-acceleration, high-velocity and highly maneuverable missile according to ATK's vice president.
(Sieff, Martin. http://www.spacewar.com/reports/A_Dream_Month_For_Ballistic_Missile_Defense_999.html, 9/21/06).
Commercial
European Space Agency to Cooperate on Commercial Space Tourism
The European Space Agency this week released a new initiative which indicates that they are ready and willing to partner with private firms to help invest in and grow the commercial space travel industry. The new program, called the "Feasibility of European Privately-funded Vehicles for Commercial Human Space Flight," invites private companies across Europe to submit their space tourism plans. ESA will then award up to three 150,000 Euro contracts for the carrying out of those plans. ESA hopes that the incentives will follow through with their initiatives. In addition, the goal is to help ESA identify potential synergies between private investment and already existing ESA technology programs for greater efficiency and use. "In some ways, Europe is way ahead of the US in space tourism potential," said Derek Webber of Spaceport Associates, a space consulting agency in Bethesda, Maryland.
(David, Leonard. http://www.space.com/news/060919_esa_tourism.html, 9/19/06).
Human Space Habitat Could Launch in Next Decade
Las Vegas entrepreneur Robert Bigelow is planning on sending a manned habitat into orbit by 2010. The space module will be capable of holding crews up to three people in low earth orbit. The Genesis 1 test module was launched this last summer and the Genesis 2 module will be launched this winter. The third module is the one Bigelow says will be able to stay in orbit for several years and sustain a three-person crew. Its name has been dubbed Sundancer. "We're pretty damn serious," says Bigelow. His goal is to have a commercial space station in orbit by 2012.
(Ferster, Warren. http://www.space.com/news/060921_bigelow_plans.html, 9/21/06).
Opinion/Editorial
Opinion: NASA Allowed a Sky is Falling Mantra to Replace its Sky's the Limit Tradition
In his recent opinion piece in the Salt Lake Tribune this week, Eric Peters argues that what was once a federal agency with a noble mission has turned into a sluggish bureaucracy which spends "too much of its time and budget indulging in politics." As a result of this evolution, Peters thinks that smaller and more innovative private space ventures are now overtaking NASA in capability and efficiency. To fix this problem and keep America's competitive space edge, Peters thinks NASA should be folded and the US should allow private entrepreneurs to try and fill the void. He suggests that this may never happen due to NASA and America's giant defense contractors which "strenuously object to anything that would end the cozy bidding arrangements that guarantees billions of dollars of little-scrutinized cost overruns each year." If allowed to continue on this path, Peters suggests that NASA will only "disappoint us and waste our tax dollars."
(Peters, Eric. http://www.sltrib.com/opinion/ci_4375292, 9/21/06).
Space Watch
Week of September 25 - September 29, 2006
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
Poll Suggests Public Supports NASA Exploration Goals
A new poll released by the Gallup Organization this week suggests that American domestic support for NASA's space exploration goals remains quite strong, despite what critics would claim. The survey found that more than two-thirds of Americans support NASA's approach to returning to the Moon. The main caveat stipulated by most supporters is that the effort's cost should not exceed more than one percent of the federal budget. The poll showed that of the supporters of the program, nearly 22% of them favored a slight increase in funding while 9% favored a significant funding increase. The poll also found that a full 69% of Americans agreed that the benefits of human spaceflight were well worth the risks while the same amount show little or no concern that China could overtake the US in terms of space capabilities.
(Malik, Tariq. http://space.com/news/060925_coalition_spacepoll.html, 9/25/06).
European Doctors Perform Zero-Gravity Operation
A five-man team of French doctors successfully operated on a man in near zero-gravity conditions this week. The experiment, the first ever on a human in a zero-gravity environment, is part of a research effort designed by the European Space Agency to develop robots for future surgeries in space. The operation, the removal of a cyst from the patient's arm, was performed on board a French Airbus 300 Zero-G airplane. The plane performs a series of loop-like maneuvers, called parabolas, in order to establish an environment of near-weightlessness. The surgery went "exactly as...expected," says Chief Surgeon Dominique Martin. "All the data we collected allow us to think that operating on a human in the conditions of space would not present insurmountable problems."
(Keaten, Jamey. http://space.com/news/ap_060927_zero-g_operate.html, 9/27/06).
NASA Chief Makes Official Visit to China
NASA's Chief Administrator, Michael Griffin, concluded an official government trip to China this week. He characterized his five-day visit as enjoyable and informative. However, he also suggested that the two countries are still far from any cooperative programs with regard to space. "We did discuss closer cooperation in our nations' science programs," said Griffin. Griffin was encouraged by these initial discussions and considers them first steps in more substantive cooperation. The biggest issue, according to Griffin, is that his civilian space agency would have issues dealing with China's space program which is dominated by its military. "This is our first visit. It's not our last visit," says Griffin.
(Leary, Warren. http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/28/science/space/28nasa.html?ref=us, 9/28/06).
Cuts in Aeronautics Expected for NASA
Members of Congress and space aviation industry officials are worried that a set of proposed cuts in aeronautics research at NASA threaten to undermine the entire aviation industry. Next year, NASA aeronautics research faces a cut of some 20%. In particular, officials are worried that the cuts may hamper NASA's ability to set up a new satellite-based Next Generation Air Traffic System. NASA is planning to cut nearly $54 million from research which would help enable this new system. Without it, estimates suggest that airlines can expect increasing flight delays. Though NASA insists that it has enough money to modernize the air traffic system, industry leaders are suggesting differently. "I think it's almost criminal," said Roy Harris, retired head of NASA's Langley Research Center, "We are dropping the ball." Rep. Mark Udall from Colorado is leading a bi-partisan coalition attempting to restore funding to the agency.
(Levin, Alan. http://www.usatoday.com/tech/science/space/2006-09-27-nasa-aviation-cuts_x.htm, 9/28/06).
Space Tourist Lands Successfully in Soyuz Capsule
The first female space tourist and her fellow astronaut entourage landed successfully this week in Kazakhstan in their Soyuz capsule. The Iranian-American woman, Anousheh Ansari, was greeted by her husband and a bouquet of red roses by a welcoming official as she descended from the capsule. "They brought me home safe and sound," said Ansari, referring to her fellow travelers, US astronaut Jeff Williams and Russian cosmonaut Pavel Vinogradov. "Anousheh has done a good job - she's one of the team," said Mr. Vinogradov. Ms. Ansari is widely rumored to have paid as much as $20 million for her trip to the International Space Station.
(BBC, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/5390902.stm, 9/29/06).
Military
Chinese Lasers Disabling US Satellites
High-powered lasers are being used by China to disable US spy satellites, according to a report filed by Defense News this week. The lasers are not damaging the satellites, according to the sources, but simply blinding them and their sensitive devices as they pass over China's territory. The acts are reportedly being kept quiet by the Bush administration so as not to disrupt Chinese help in the North Korea and Iran diplomatic endeavors. According to some American officials, "China not only has the capability [to blind our satellites] but has exercised it." In response to this threat, according to the report, the US military has been researching and developing its own lasers in order to get a better understanding of China's capabilities.
(Harris, Francis. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/09/26/wchina226.xml, 9/26/06).
Commercial
Commercial Rocket Crashes After New Mexico Launch
A rocket that was developed in Colorado by the UP Aerospace Company crashed in the New Mexico desert yesterday after launching successfully from the state's new commercial spaceport. The unmanned rocket was designed to reach suborbital space and return to earth 13 minutes later. However, the rocket veered well off course at about 40,000 feet above the port's launch facilities, called Spaceport America. The company is saying that the crash occurred due to an anomaly and that the launch itself was a victory of sorts. UP Aerospace will apparently try again with another launch on October 21st from the same spaceport.
(Pierre, David. http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/tech/article/0,2777,DRMN_23910_5020731,00.html, 9/26/06).
NASA Takes Heat for Orion Contract Award
NASA found itself having to defend a recent decision to award the Orion spacecraft contract to Lockheed Martin in front of a House Science Committee hearing this week. The Orion contract, which is set to help NASA transport astronauts to the Moon, Mars, and beyond, is worth upwards of $8.1 billion through 2019. It is a long-term contract for Orion's complete development and production. Some members of the House Committee and the Government Accountability Office suggested that NASA should have pursued a shorter-term contract until Lockheed could answer many of the outstanding questions still in play with regard to the program. NASA defended its decision by stipulating that it has a sufficient level of confidence in the vehicle's cost estimates and will closely monitor the program's progress.
(House Committee on Science. http://www.house.gov/science/press/109/109-337.htm, 9/28/06).
Branson Unveils SpaceShip Two
Virgin Galactic and entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson revealed the design of its newest commercial spaceliner, SpaceShip Two, this week. The new ships, like their predecessor, SpaceShip One, will be capable of sending tourists into suborbital flight above the Earth. Unlike its predecessor, SpaceShip Two will be three times its size with cushioned seats and many more windows. The new design will be able to launch 8 people on board. For a ticket price of $200,000, these passengers will buy the ride of their life for 2.5 hours with a maximum altitude of nearly 68 miles. They will experience weightlessness for several minutes during the flight.
(Malik, Tariq. http://space.com/news/060828_spaceshiptwo_next.html, 9/28/06).