X-37B space plane after landing. (Credit: U.S. Air Force)

MOFFETT FIELD, Calif. (NASA PR) — NASA’s Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif., has won the 2011 NASA Government Invention of the Year.

Ames received the award for developing Toughened Uni-piece Fibrous Reinforced Oxidation-Resistant Composite (TUFROC), a low-cost, lightweight, two-piece, thermal protection system (TPS) for use on space vehicles during atmospheric re-entry at hypersonic speed. TUFROC, a patented technology invented by David A. Stewart and Daniel B. Leiser of Ames, has been successfully demonstrated on the X-37B Reusable Launch Vehicle.

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Here’s an interesting bit of news from Aviation Week: United Technologies Corp. (UTC) is expected to complete the sale of its Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne rocket propulsion arm within the next two weeks as part of efforts to raise $3 billion to help finance its acquisition of Goodrich Corp…. The group believed to be most strongly linked to the acquisition is thought to involve Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, former Scaled […]

NASA’s John C. Stennis Space Center:  NASA Administrator Charles Bolden (r) discusses the upcoming testing of Blue Origin’s BE-3 engine thrust chamber assembly with Steve Knowles, Blue Origin project manager, on the E-1 Test Stand at NASA’s Stennis Space Center. The BE-3 will be used on Blue Origin’s reusable launch vehicle as part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Development Program. Blue Origin is one of NASA’s partners developing innovative systems […]

Orbital updated its COTS and CRS operational schedules, with plans to achieve four major milestones over the next year. They are as listed below: Third quarter 2012 – Antares First-Stage Static Fire Test at Wallops Third quarter 2012 – Antares Test Flight for COTS Fourth quarter 2012 – COTS Demonstration Mission to ISS* First quarter 2013 – CRS Mission #1 to ISS* *Orbital’s operational dates are subject to coordination with […]

Boeing's CST-100 crew transport. (Credit: Boeing)

HOUSTON (Boeing PR) — Boeing has signed an agreement with NASA’s Mission Operations Directorate (MOD) at Johnson Space Center to collaborate on mission planning, training and flight operations for the company’s Commercial Space Transportation (CST)-100 spacecraft.

Under the new arrangement, which Boeing negotiated under its current Phase 2 NASA Space Act Agreement for Commercial Crew Development, Boeing will begin discussions with the MOD on integrating launch operations and the company’s own mission control facility at Kennedy Space Center, Fla., with training and real-time operations at Johnson Space Center in Houston.

“Adding MOD to our team leverages NASA’s experience in crewed space operations to ensure mission success for our CST-100 spacecraft,” said Chris Ferguson, director of Crew and Mission Operations for the Boeing Commercial Crew Program. “As we continue to mature our spacecraft design, MOD technical support will ensure the CST-100 is built with the operators in mind.”

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Rep. Frank Wolf

By Douglas Messier
Parabolic Arc Managing Editor

We now know what the House has in mind for NASA’s “reconfigured” commercial crew program. I’ll let Rep. Frank Wolf, chairman of the House’s Science subcommittee, explain in his own inimitable way:

Commercial Crew development is funded at $500 million, consistent with the current authorization and the report accompanying the House Budget Resolution.  In light of limited budgets and the need to find the fastest, safest and most cost effective means of achieving a U.S. capability for access to the International Space Station, the bill directs NASA to winnow the commercial partners and advance the schedule for moving to traditional government procurement methods.

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By Douglas Messier
Parabolic Arc Managing Editor

In a move praised by industry groups, a report issued by the Departments of State and Defense has recommended removing hundreds of thousands of items that are now part of the U.S. Munitions List, a designation that makes them difficult or impossible to export. Included among the items to be removed from the list are commercial communications satellites and their components, and some remote sensing satellites not considered militarily sensitive.

“Today’s release of the Defense Department assessment of the implications of normalizing export controls on satellites and related components gives decision makers in Congress crucial information on how reform can strengthen both our national security and space industrial base,” said Aerospace Industries President and CEO Marion C. Blakey in a statement.

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Washington, Apr 19 (Bill Posey PR) — Today, Congressman Bill Posey (R-Rockledge) introduced legislation to allow for private sector investment in the Department of Defense for space transportation in an effort to modernize America’s defense capabilities, promote America’s commercial space industry and help America regain the loss of commercial launches.

“A priority for me is working to secure America’s leadership in launch vehicles, technology and operations and this bill helps us do that,” said Congressman Bill Posey. “We have been losing launches to overseas competitors and that is not good for our economic competiveness or our national security. We need to change that direction and my bill will do that. This bill is a win-win.”

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COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Dnyetics PR) –  Dynetics and Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne (PWR) announced here today at the National Space Symposium a long-term partnership to compete for the NASA Space Launch System (SLS) Advanced Booster Engineering Demonstration and/or Risk Reduction (ABEDRR) procurement. Under this agreement, Dynetics and PWR are exclusive partners with respect to use of the proven Saturn V F-1 rocket engine technology.

“The SLS booster procurement requires a team that can balance affordability, innovation and experience throughout the life cycle – from development to production and operations,” said Steve Cook, Dynetics director of space technologies. “Dynetics and PWR have formed such a team, offering a wide-ranging set of risk‑reduction activities and demonstrations that enable a superior booster solution.”

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“The next astronauts to fly to space from American soil will be on American-made, commercially-built rockets, and by continuing to advance the vital Commercial Crew Program in a time of tightening budgets, Congress has sent a strong signal that this is an important priority for NASA and for the nation.” [My emphasis]

— Michael Lopez-Alegria
President, Commercial Spaceflight Federation
April 19, 2012

Strong signal? Really?

Apparently Congress’ decision to cut between $305 and $330 million from the President’s request for commercial crew, further delay the start of commercial operations, limit full American access to a space station we largely funded for God knows how much longer, and deepen our reliance on the Russians at a cost of hundreds of millions of dollars is a good thing because this totally inadequate budget is higher than the even more woefully insufficient one Congress approved last year.

Good grief. I really expected much more from this group. It is the Commercial Spaceflight Federation, right?

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