Russians take a spacewalk, Elon Musk meets the Colbert Nation, touring Titan’s Lake District, Mars News, ZombieSat attacks, and KSC turtle rescue.
Katy Perry Sending Russell Brand to Outer Space
E! Online
Katy Perry bought hubby-to-be Russell Brand a trip to outer space for his 35th birthday, via Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic space venture.
Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy Space Center
McCollum’s Space Coast visit ends with space briefing
Florida Today
Republican gubernatorial candidate Bill McCollum ended a day of campaigning on the Space Coast with a briefing from local space industry leaders.
Environmental Tectonics Corporation today announced the appointment of Winston E. Scott to its Board of Directors. Mr. Scott brings the total of ETC Board members to six.
Mr. Scott, a retired U. S. Navy Captain and former NASA Astronaut, currently serves as Dean of the College of Aeronautics of the Florida Institute of Technology. His professional experience includes significant industry and academic positions as well as a 27 year stint in the U. S. Navy. During his enlistment, Mr. Scott accumulated more than 5,000 hours of flight time in 20 different military and civilian aircraft and more than 200 shipboard landings.
International Space Station
Vote on NASA Bill Appears Unlikely Before September
Space News
A controversial House NASA authorization bill that appeared headed for a floor vote July 30 has stalled, and it appears unlikely the measure will be taken up before lawmakers leave town for a six-week summer break that begins Aug. 2.
Some space shuttle workers get layoff notice
Reuters
NASA’s prime space shuttle contractor, United Space Alliance, sent layoff notices this week to more than 15 percent of its 8,100-member shuttle work force, officials said on Tuesday.
You were expecting the Zombies? Well, as a Friday afternoon treat, here they are….
Artist's impression of a servicer turning a satellite for a docking maneuver. Credit: Space Tech GmbH
During the recent NewSpace 2010 conference, there was a lot of talk about in-orbit servicing of satellites, including refueling, re-boosting them to higher orbits, and moving dead birds to other locations for eventual recycling.
Now comes word that one of the few companies working on a space tug system is ready to abandon the effort due to the lack of a market.
An interesting panel discussion about commercial research aboard the International Space Station from the NewSpace 2010 conference.
For those of you wondering why NASA’s CRuSR program is having a hard time getting its smallish $15 million/year budget approved by Congress, here’s part of the answer: flying suborbital experiments on reusable spacecraft threatens the agency’s sounding rocket program. And NASA just dropped a bundle on the latter.
NASA's Orion spacecraft
LOCKHEED MARTIN PRESS RELEASE
Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] today applauded the recent actions taken by House and Senate NASA oversight committees as Congress moves forward on a bi-partisan spending plan for NASA. This important legislation provides an achievable path forward for a robust human space flight program that continues the Orion crew exploration vehicle to help achieve that goal and includes funding for advancements in technology that will ensure U.S. leadership in space.
Space shuttle Atlantis lands on runway 33 at NASA Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Landing Facility concluding the STS-129 mission. Photo credit: NASA Jack Pfaller
Unions are split over whether the NASA funding bill in the House is what is best for their members and the U.S. space agency.