The latest spaceport news from around the country: Sante Fe, N.M. — The state Board of Finance unanimously approved the New Mexico Spaceport Authority’s (NMSA) plan to seek a $20 million private loan to build Spaceport America visitor centers outside the towns of Hatch and Truth or Consequences. NMSA officials say they will pay the 21-year loan back with revenues from the centers, although some Board of Finance members questioned […]
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Doug Messier
CLEVELAND (NASA PR) – How loud is 166 decibels? It’s about as loud as the thrust of 20 jet engines or a rock concert with 36,000 speakers. It’s also the level of noise some spacecraft experience when launched and is now the highest level of noise that can be produced in the Reverberant Acoustic Test Facility (RATF) located at NASA Glenn Research Center’s Plum Brook Station in Sandusky, Ohio.
For the first time in the RATF, spaceflight components were subjected to these high noise levels to determine if they would withstand acoustic reverberations during launch or launch aborts.
Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) completed testing on a 5.2-meter fairing for its Falcon 9 rocket in the RATF and Plum Brook’s Space Power Facility (SPF) vacuum chamber this summer. The tests confirmed the fairing could withstand the harsh conditions associated with space travel.
Amsterdam, 18 July 2013 (SXC PR) — Earlier today, Space Expedition Corporation (SXC) announced that Second Man on the Moon and living space exploration icon Buzz Aldrin will be their new honorary member of The Advisory Board. Aldrin will play an active role in the company’s final preparations for their first planned Spaceflight with commercial participant-astronauts end of 2014.
HOUSTON (NASA PR) — Preparations are under way at Boeing’s Houston Product Support Center in Texas to host NASA astronauts for flight suit evaluations in the CST-100 mock-up next week. Stay tuned to the agency’s Commercial Crew Program (CCP) website July 22 for a first-ever look at the interior of Boeing’s spacecraft.
Well, the reviews are in for the House’s $16.6 billion spending plan for NASA. And they are not good:
“Absolutely lethal” to a balanced space program.
— Sen. Bill Nelson, D-FL
“This proposal would challenge America’s preeminence in space exploration, technology, innovation, and scientific discovery…..The bill will jeopardize the success of the commercial crew program and ensure that we continue to outsource jobs to Russia.”
— David Weaver, NASA Associate Administrator for Communications
“Less funding for the commercial crew program simply equates to prolonged dependence on foreign launch providers.”
— Michael Lopez-Alegria, Commercial Spaceflight Federation President
Read the statements by Weaver and the Commercial Spaceflight Federation below.
WASHINGTON (NASA PR) — NASA officials Wednesday released a synopsis requesting information from U.S. private enterprises interested in pursuing unfunded partnerships. The aim is to advance the development of commercial space products and services.The Collaborations for Commercial Space Capabilities synopsis describes a potential opportunity for existing and new companies and non-profit organizations to access NASA’s spaceflight expertise for mutually beneficial space exploration goals.
SpaceShipTwo and WhiteKnightTwo circle over the Mojave Air and Space Port during a successful glide flight on July 18, 2012. (Credit: Bill Deaver)
The Albuquerque Journal gets an update on SpaceShipTwo’s progress, including another test flight that is “expected” within the next two weeks:
“Our aspiration is to get to space by the end of the year,” said Virgin Galactic CEO George Whitesides. “That depends on a lot of things happening before then, but that’s our goal.”
The company completed the first rocket-powered flight of its space vehicle, SpaceShipTwo, on April 29 in the Mojave Desert. A second flight is expected this month as part of Virgin’s strategy to go higher and faster on each test run until reaching suborbit….
WhiteKnightTwo Flight Test Summaries Via Scaled Composites Flight: 127 Date: 12 Jul 13 Flight Time: 2.3 hr WK2 Pilot: Stucky WK2 CoPilot: Nichols WK2 FTE: Bassett Objectives: New speedbrake evaluation Results: Objective achieved. Flight: 128 Date: 17 Jul 13 Flight Time: 1.2 hr WK2 Pilot: Sturckow WK2 CoPilot: Nichols WK2 FTE: Persall Objectives: VG pilot proficiency Results: Objective achieved. Flight: 129 Date: 17 Jul 13 Flight Time: 1.5 hr […]
Sen. Richard Shelby
New details are emerging about the Senate’s proposal to spend $18 billion on NASA for FY 2014. As usual, some of the most interesting comments are coming from Sen. Richard Shelby (R-AL), the Senate’s biggest supporter of the Space Launch System and, ironically, one of its biggest opponents of massive, pork-laden government program.
Alabama.com’s Lee Roop reports that the Senate is much more generous with commercial crew:
The Senate subcommittee’s budget also appropriates $775 million to commercial space programs, but at Shelby’s initiative withholds $250 million until NASA does a study that certifies how long the International Space Station will be usable after 2020, its current projected lifespan.
The Obama Administration asked for $821.4 million. Two House subcommittee have proposed $500 million and $700 million to be spent on the program next year. The overall House budget for NASA is either $16.6 billion or $16.8 billion, depending on the subcommittee.
The Merlin 1D engine during a test firing. (Credit: SpaceX)
SpaceX is now approved for Falcon Heavy testing at its facility in Texas:
The city of McGregor has amended its lease with SpaceX to allow the company to test “future technologies” at McGregor’s industrial park — including possibly the Falcon Heavy, which reportedly will become the world’s most powerful private rocket — city and SpaceX officials confirmed.