AIA PR — The Aerospace Industries Association and leading industry CEOs are holding a press conference Wednesday September 14 on the devastating job losses, national security threats and infrastructure implications that would result from budget cuts put in motion by this summer’s debt-ceiling deal. AIA and the CEOs of Boeing Commercial Airplanes, Pratt & Whitney and other firms will address the long-term costs that another round of major cuts would […]
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Doug Messier
CSF PR – Washington, D.C., Monday, September 12, 2011 – The Commercial Spaceflight Federation is pleased to support a letter on NASA Space Technology funding, signed by 45 companies, nonprofits, and research universities, which was delivered to Congress last week.
The letter states, “The Space Technology program is a critical investment in NASA’s future, our nation’s future in space, and America’s technology leadership position in the world.” The letter notes, “We write in support of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Space Technology program for fiscal year (FY) 2012. We urge you to support the program at a level of at least $535 million plus costs to cover the NASA labor transition. … As recognized by Congress in the America COMPETES Act, our nation’s economic competitiveness and high standard of living are based on decades of investment in innovation, research, and technology. Through space technology, NASA will stimulate the economy and build America’s global economic competitiveness through the creation of new products and services, new businesses and industries, and high‐quality, sustainable jobs across NASA Centers, universities, and both small and large businesses.”
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The schedule for The Space Show this week…. Monday, Sept. 12, 2011, 2-3:30 PM PDT: We welcome Bob Zimmerman back to the program for space policy updates. Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2011, 7-8:30 PM PDT: We welcome Dr. Haym Benaroya of Rutgers & Dr. John Jurist to develop a successful human spaceflight strategy for NASA, the U.S. etc. Join in the discussion but please do stay on topic per the guest […]
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., Sept. 9, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — Moon Express, a Google Lunar X PRIZE contender, announced today that it has established the “Moon Express Robotics Lab for Innovation” (MERLIN) and has hired a team of the nations’ brightest engineering students who became international superstars through the FIRST Robotics Competition.
MERLIN will develop robotic technology supporting the company’s lunar exploration missions under the leadership of Marco Chacin, a graduate of the International Space University who holds a PhD in Aerospace Engineering and developed robotic solutions for the JAXA/ISAS “Hayabusa” asteroid sample return missions.
Retired Navy Admiral and former high-ranking NASA official Craig Steidle has stepped down as the president of the Commercial Spaceflight Federation for medical reasons, according to CSF Chairman Eric Anderson.
“The entire commercial spaceflight industry recognizes Admiral Steidle’s tremendous work during his service to CSF,” Anderson said in a statement quoted by Space News. “He has been able to accomplish much since taking the helm and the Federation wishes him well and thanks him for all his hard work.”
Steidle succeeded Bretton Alexander as CSF president on May 15. The federation has not named a successor yet.
Bill Nye in Washington. (Credit: Planetary Society)
TPS PR — Washington, D.C. — Bill Nye, Executive Director of the Planetary Society, delivered more than 20,000 signed petitions supporting space exploration to Congress and the White House. The signatures came from Planetary Society members and supporters around the world.
America: A Tribute to Heroes Sept. 21, 2001 A decade ago, I lived in a 10th floor corner apartment about a mile south of the Pentagon. I was not there at the time of the attack, but returned home later after being sent home from work. I watched the building burn throughout the night and well into the next day. There was little else to do but watch the fire […]
NASA PR — NASA’s GRAIL mission to study the moon from crust to core successfully lifted off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station’s Pad SLC-17B at 9:08 a.m. EDT.
Both GRAIL spacecraft have separated on schedule from the second stage of the Delta II rocket and are now flying to the moon. So far, all systems are working as expected. It will take the two spacecraft until New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day to reach the moon.
Longueuil, Quebec, September 8, 2011 – The Canadian Space Agency (CSA) is pleased to announce that its two new astronauts, Jeremy Hansen and David Saint-Jacques, have successfully completed their two-year basic training at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.
“Through diligence and hard work, Jeremy Hansen and David Saint-Jacques have earned the respect of their astronaut colleagues,” said the President of the CSA, Steve MacLean. “Our newest astronauts have come through with flying colours and are proud members of Canada’s Astronaut Corps.”
International Space Station
WASHINGTON — NASA has finalized a cooperative agreement with the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS) to manage the portion of the International Space Station that operates as a U.S. national laboratory.
CASIS will be located in the Space Life Sciences Laboratory at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The independent, nonprofit research management organization will help ensure the station’s unique capabilities are available to the broadest possible cross-section of U.S. scientific, technological and industrial communities.