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Doug Messier
Former Commercial Crew Manager Mango Fined $2K
Ed Mango

Ed Mango

A federal judge has fined former NASA Commercial Crew Program manager Ed Mango $2,000 for his improper involvement in a personnel matter at the Kennedy Space Center, Florida Today reports.

Mango had loaned money to a fellow employeeafter she was arrested for submitting a forged driving permit. The employee had lost her license for driving under the influence.

Mango intervened on her behalf with NASA’s Human Resources officials who were considering punishment for the employee without disclosing he had a financial interest in the case. He pleaded guilty to a felony, which could have landed him in prison for six months.

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  • March 4, 2014
Photo of Masten’s Next Generation RLV

Our next gen EDL vehicle is coming together. This vehicle can be skinned with the Xaero aeroshell or other shapes. pic.twitter.com/LbxOfQOQh9 — Masten Space Systems (@mastenspace) March 4, 2014  

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  • March 4, 2014
Chinese Launch Failure Due to Blocked Fuel Line

Space News reports on the recent failure of a Chinese launch vehicle: China’s launch-services provider on March 3 said the December failure of a Long March 4B rocket was due to debris that blocked fuel intake of an upper-stage engine, resulting in the loss of the CBERS-3 Earth observation satellite owned jointly by China and Brazil. In a statement, The China Great Wall Industry Corp. (CGWIC) said the debris, which […]

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  • March 4, 2014
NASA’s Flight Opportunities Program Looks to Busy 2014
An exterior camera on the forward portion of UP Aerospace' SL-8 sounding rocket captures this spectacular view of the Earth's horizon during its flight from Spaceport America in New Mexico for NASA's Flight Opportunities Program last November. (Credit: UP Aerospace)

An exterior camera on the forward portion of UP Aerospace’ SL-8 sounding rocket captures this spectacular view of the Earth’s horizon during its flight from Spaceport America in New Mexico for NASA’s Flight Opportunities Program last November. (Credit: UP Aerospace)

EDWARDS, Calif. (NASA PR) — NASA’s Flight Opportunities Program of the agency’s Space Technology Mission Directorate accomplished its busiest year in 2013 since its inception in late 2010, and 2014 promises to be even busier.

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  • March 4, 2014
March of the CubeSats
Two of the 28 Planet Labs Dove satellites that make up the Flock 1 constellation are seen launching into orbit from the International Space Station on Feb. 11. (Credit: NASA)

Two of the 28 Planet Labs Dove satellites that make up the Flock 1 constellation are seen launching into orbit from the International Space Station on Feb. 11. (Credit: NASA)

HOUSTON (NASA PR) — It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s a CubeSat! With so many small, relatively inexpensive satellites deploying lately from the International Space Station, it may seem like the area referred to as low-Earth orbit, between 100 and 1,240 miles above the planet, is full of these compact cubes. The miniature satellites, or CubeSats, conduct research and demonstration missions.

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  • March 4, 2014
UrtheCast Signs Up Six New Data Distributors
Spacewalker Oleg Kotov works outside the Zvezda service module. (Credit: NASA TV)

Spacewalker Oleg Kotov works outside the Zvezda service module. (Credit: NASA TV)

VANCOUVER, Feb. 27, 2014 (UrtheCast PR) — UrtheCast Corp. (TSX:UR) (“UrtheCast” or “the Company”) is pleased to announce that it has signed six new data distributors for its high-resolution Earth video and imagery. This Ultra HD color video and medium-resolution imagery will be captured from UrtheCast’s two cameras ― a 1-meter class, full color video camera and a 5-meter class, still imagery camera — aboard the International Space Station (ISS).

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  • March 3, 2014
This Week on The Space Show

This week on The Space Show with David Livingston: 1. Monday, March 3, 2014, 2-3:30 PM PST (5-6:30 PM EST, 4-5:30 PM CST): We welcome back DR. JEFF BELL. Dr. Bell will give us his assessment of space projects and ideas. 2. Tuesday, March 4, 2014:, 7-8:30 PM PST (10-11:30 PM EST, 9-10:30 PM CST): OPEN LINES. This is going to be the only Open Lines show for March. All […]

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  • March 3, 2014
Mars One Lander to Carry Uwingu Map to Red Planet
Mars One 2018 lander (Credit: Mars One)

Mars One 2018 lander (Credit: Mars One)

BOULDER, Colorado, March 3, 2014 (Uwingu PR) — Uwingu and the pioneering Mars One project (https://www.mars-­one.com/en/) announce a landmark partnership: All Mars One missions will carry Uwingu’s Mars Map to Mars, and will use these feature names as a part of Mars One’s mission operations at Mars. Additionally, a portion of Uwingu’s revenues generated by Mars feature naming will help fund Mars One missions.

Uwingu launched its Mars Crater Naming Project last week at www.uwingu.com, giving anyone in the public the opportunity to name any of the approximately 500,000 scientifically identified craters on Mars.

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  • March 3, 2014
Endangered Sea Turtles, Leopards Among Concerns About SpaceX’s Proposed Launch Site Near Brownsville
Location (in red) of SpaceX's proposed commercial spaceport. (Credit: Environment Texas)

Location (in red) of SpaceX’s proposed commercial spaceport. (Credit: Environment Texas)

SpaceX’s proposed commercial spaceport south of Brownsville, Texas, is surrounded by a nearly 11,000-acre wildlife preserve that is home to multiple endangered animals, including nesting sea turtles and two species of wild cats, according to the Sierra Club.

The Sierra Club’s Lone Star Chapter sent a letter to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) last June expressing concerns over how the species and wildlife preserve will be protected if the California-based launch company goes forward with its plan to construct the spaceport.

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  • March 3, 2014