Shri A S Kiran Kumar, Distinguished Scientist and Associate Director, Space Applications Centre (SAC), Ahmedabad, has assumed the office of Director, Space Applications Centre today (March 31, 2012). He took over the charge from Dr R R Navalgund, the outgoing Director.

Shri Kiran Kumar joined SAC/ISRO in 1975. He has made immense contribution to the design and development of Electro-Optical Imaging Sensors for Airborne, Low Earth Orbit and Geostationary orbit satellites starting from Bhaskara TV payload to the latest Terrain Mapping Camera and Hyperspectral Imager payloads for Chandrayaan-1 mission. He has made very significant contributions to the task of evolving the observation strategy encompassing land, ocean, atmospheric and planetary studies.

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By Douglas Messier
Parabolic Arc Managing Editor

Mojave Air and Space Port General Manager Stu Witt is making some progress in his campaign to get Sacramento to provide more support for his facility and the aerospace industry across California.

Witt told the East Kern Airport District Board of Directors on Tuesday that he recently got a call from the office of Gov. Jerry Brown, which will be sending an advance team from the state’s Office of Economic Development for a one-day visit to the desert spaceport. The call came after a letter of support from Larry Adams and Jay Sprague, president and vice president, respectively, of the California City Development Corporation.

Although the Mojave spaceport is thriving as an R&D center, it is doing so in spite of a terrible business climate caused by high taxes and burdensome regulations, Witt believes. The state is under serious threat of losing its innovative aerospace companies to other states that are offering financial incentives and looser regulations. The state earlier lost its aircraft industry in a similar manner.

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By Douglas Messier
Parabolic Arc Managing Editor

A limited liability bill protecting spacecraft operators from lawsuits except if they are grossly negligent or intentionally cause injury to spaceflight participants is making its way through the California Legislature. The measure would put the state on an even footing with New Mexico, Virginia and Florida, which have passed similar measures.

The bill, introduced by Assemblyman Steve Knight of California’s 36th district, would

require a space flight entity, as defined, to collect a signed warning statement, as specified, from each participant in space flight activities, as defined. In addition to the disclosures required by federal law, the bill would require the warning statement to, at a minimum, inform the participant that the space flight entity is not liable for bodily injury sustained as a result of the risks associated with space flight activities. The bill would limit the liability of a space flight entity that complies with these provisions, except as provided. The bill would state findings and declarations of the Legislature regarding the nature of the space flight industry.

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Plane Crazy Saturday Featuring Scaled Composites Career Day
and Competitive Robotics Event
Mojave Air and Space Port
Mojave, California
April 21, 2012
10 a.m. to 2 p.m. PDT

The monthly Plane Crazy Saturday event will include Scaled Composites first ever Career Day with static displays of the White Knight and WhiteKnightTwo aircraft, a briefing on flying SpaceShipTwo, a competitive student robotics competition, and the GT Race Car Club on Runway 30. The event runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m, with the Voyager restaurant open at 8 a.m.

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Transformer-style planetary exploration vehicles being studied under a NIAC grant. (Scott Ferguson, North Carolina State University)

By Douglas Messier
Parabolic Arc Managing Editor

James Cameron’s recent solo voyage to the bottom of the sea — 7 miles down in the Pacific’s Mariana Trench — garnered universally rave reviews. Commentators praised director for his daring in going to a place where only two men had only gone before and opening up a new era of deep sea exploration.

There was one discordant note, aimed not at Cameron but rather — of all things — NASA. One blogger attacked the space agency’s Public Affairs Office for not sufficiently playing up the advisory role of one of its scientists in the expedition. “NASA is Becoming Boring” the headline thundered, indicting the coolest government agency in the world for some minor lapse involving an expedition it wasn’t even running.

What. Ever. Bro.

If only the critic had attended the NASA Innovative Advance Concepts Spring Symposium last week in Pasadena. During the 3-day gathering, researchers gave us a glimpse of the future. I didn’t find it boring. And neither did June Lockhart, for that matter. (Of which, more later.)

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Black Sky Training PR — Black Sky Training is proud to announce MOU’s and agreements for Strategic Partnership with two leading industry professionals. Dr. Paul Buza: Dr. Buza is the founder and medical director for the Southern AeroMedical Institute- SAMI. His high altitude chamber technology, flight training devices and simulated ATC teach pilots the dangers of hypoxia. Dr. Buza is a board certified Neurologist specializing in advanced diving medicine and […]

Timothy J. Yeatman

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FL. (CASIS PR — APRIL 5, 2012) – The Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS), the nonprofit organization managing research onboard the International Space Station U.S. National Laboratory, today named renowned surgeon and researcher Timothy J. Yeatman, M.D., as CASIS Interim Chief Scientist. Additionally, Dr. Alan Stern, a planetary scientist, aerospace consultant, and former NASA executive, has been appointed CASIS Scientific Advisor. Doctors Yeatman and Stern will lead research initiatives for the organization.

“These two high-level appointments have brought world-class scientific expertise to CASIS,” said CASIS Interim Executive Director Jim Royston. “Doctors Yeatman and Stern greatly enhance our ability to attract and evaluate projects that will maximize use of Station and ultimately improve life on earth.”

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UP Aerospace SpaceLoft XL rocket. (File Photo)

Spaceport America, NM (NMSA PR) – New Mexico Spaceport Authority (NMSA) officials announced the tenth launch from Spaceport America by UP Aerospace of Denver, Colorado. The liftoff of the sub-orbital sounding rocket took place from Spaceport America’s vertical launch complex at approximately 8:18 a.m. (MST), within the dedicated, five-hour launch window. The rocket reached its sub-orbital altitude of 73 miles or 385,640 feet (117 km), accomplishing a new Spaceport America altitude record.

The launch was a non-public, unpublished event at the request of UP Aerospace, Inc. The primary payloads were Department of Defense (DoD) experiments. Additional payloads were carried for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the University of Texas and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

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The avionics subsystem and hardware are cleared for Flight Control Test 1, testing the avionics and controls for NASA's Space Launch System booster. (Credit: ATK)

PROMONTORY, Utah, April 3, 2012 (ATK PR) — NASA and ATK successfully completed the first test for NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) booster program March 28 at ATK’s Promontory, Utah, test facility.  This demonstration was a key avionics and controls test designated Flight Control Test 1 (FCT-1) and included a fully integrated flight heritage thrust vector control (TVC) system with the new SLS booster avionics subsystem.

The avionics subsystem is responsible for booster ignition, nozzle steering and booster separation. This test will specifically focus on the avionics subsystem’s ability to start-up, monitor, steer and shut down an SLS booster nozzle TVC system.

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Southampton, PA (NASTAR PR) – The NASTAR® Center, the premier commercial aerospace training and research center in the world, restructures its most popular space training course with updated material and content to better prepare upcoming commercial spaceflight participants for space. The course prepares prospective spaceflight participants for the acceleration forces, vibrations, sights, sounds, and expectations involved during coming commercial spaceflights.

Basic Space Training is an entry-level, two-day course which provides the core knowledge and skills necessary to introduce space travelers to suborbital spaceflight. Through a combination of academic instruction, hands-on exercises, and realistic simulated space flight exposures, participants will become safe, confident, and capable space passengers.

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