NASA MISSION UPDATE

NASA managers have targeted space shuttle Discovery’s launch for no earlier than Feb. 3 at 1:34 a.m. EST. Shuttle managers determined more tests and analysis are needed before proceeding with the launch of the STS-133 mission to the International Space Station.

The Program Requirements Control Board met Thursday and reviewed engineering evaluations associated with cracks on two 21-foot-long, U-shaped aluminum brackets, called stringers, on the shuttle’s external tank. NASA repaired the cracks and reapplied foam to the exterior of the stringers.

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Mitchell Weiss of the SEEGRID Corp. gave a presentation titled, “Application of Visually Guided, Autonomous Robots to Space Mining and Construction,” during the SSI Space Manufacturing Conference in October. A full archive of videos is located here. View the archive of PowerPoint presentations given during the conference here.

Prof. Greg Baiden of Laurentian University and Penguin Automated Systems gave a talk titled, “Lunar Mining – Taking the Best of Terrestrial Mining and Fitting it to the Moon,” during the SSI Space Manufacturing 14 conference in October. A full archive of videos is located here. View the archive of PowerPoint presentations given during the conference here.

Florida Senator Bill Nelson

The Orlando Sentinel reports on a tense hearing today on Capitol Hill today:

Tensions between U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson and the White House openly erupted Wednesday when the Florida Democrat used a packed Senate hearing to accuse the administration of dragging its feet on a new NASA law that Nelson had a hand in crafting.

Nelson said the Senate had received word that NASA and “other parts of the administration” were working to undermine the law — which aims to replace the retiring space shuttle with a new “heavy lift” rocket and crew capsule — and instead enact Obama’s earlier plans, which would focus more on technology development. However, he offered no definitive examples or proof.

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Sarkozy to address ISRO scientists Sify.com Indian space agency ISRO is gearing up to host French President Nicolas Sarkozy and his wife Carla Bruni at its headquarters here Saturday and will interact with top scientists. According to Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) officials, Sarkozy will be at ISRO office between 12.30 p.m. and 1.40 p.m. Saturday. He will be arriving in India Dec 4 on a four-day visit, during which […]

OSC PRESS RELEASE

Orbital Sciences Corporation (NYSE: ORB) announced today that former White House Space Policy Director Peter J. Marquez has joined the company as Vice President of Strategy and Planning. In his new role, Mr. Marquez will be responsible for helping to develop the company’s strategic approach to opportunities in civil and military space programs that can be addressed with Orbital’s reliable and affordable small- and medium-class space systems. He will report to Senior Vice President Michael Hamel, Lt. Gen., U. S. Air Force (retired), who heads the company’s corporate strategy and development activities.

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Work at spaceport halts for plan changes Las Cruces Sun-News Spaceport America officials have halted construction of a building at the site, as they rework its architectural plans. A spaceport official said earlier this year that the 16,000 square-foot, dome-shaped aircraft rescue and firefighting building was slated for completion in December. But Rick Homans, executive director for the New Mexico Spaceport Authority, recently halted construction in order to redesign its […]

NSS PRESS RELEASE
Nov. 29, 2010

In late September 2010, after many months of debate, Congress passed the NASA Authorization Act of 2010. This three-year authorization demonstrated a bipartisan, cooperative effort on the part of both the House and the Senate to provide a framework for engaging the Executive Branch in a comprehensive dialog on the future of NASA. On October 11, 2010, the bill was signed into law by the president.

In an era when such strong bipartisan agreement is rarely seen, the overwhelming support on both sides of the political aisle for our nation’s space program and for the NASA Authorization Act of 2010 reaffirmed our nation’s strong commitment to a space program that is dynamic, engaging, and sustainable. Although the compromise embodied in this legislation is not without risk to the ultimate success of the U.S. human spaceflight program, it nevertheless provides guidance to the Executive Branch and a path forward.

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Dr. Paul Spudis gave a luncheon talk on the latest discoveries about the moon during the SSI Space Manufacturing 14 Conference at the end of October. A full archive of videos is located here. View the archive of PowerPoint presentations given during the conference here.

30th Space Wing Public Affairs Preparations for the first landing of the X-37B are underway at Vandenberg Air Force Base. Space professionals from the 30th Space Wing will monitor the de-orbit and landing of the Air Force’s first X-37B, called the Orbital Test Vehicle 1 (OTV-1). While the exact landing date and time will depend on technical and weather considerations, it is expected to occur between Friday, December 3, and […]

Aviation Week was able to talk to press-shy NASA Administrator Charles Bolden, who says that NASA is taking a slow approach to cooperation with China and a list of proposed joint projects with the Russians: Bolden suggested space cooperation has been subsumed in larger financial issues that will be addressed when Chinese President Hu Jintao visits the U.S. in January, with the Executive Office of the President, the White House […]

Absent their vertical tails, the two X-34 aircraft were convoyed from NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center to the north gate of Edwards Air Force Base via Rosamond Boulevard morning, and then overnight on Highway 58 to the Mojave Air and Spaceport. (Credit: NASA Dryden/Tony Landis)

Wired has more about the X-34s from Dave Huntsman, an engineer with NASA’s Exploration Systems Mission Directorate, who spearheaded the effort to pull the hypersonic vehicles out of storage:

“The real idea didn’t come from me, or my Dryden buddies, or from Orbital Sciences who built them [the X-34s],” Huntsman wrote. “It came during a week in October 2009, simultaneously, at a workshop in Dayton, Ohio (where the Air Force Research Lab is based at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base), from two different entrepreneurial space companies.”

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