Model of NASA's Orion spacecraft

Orion removed from NASA control – MOD positioning for commercial role
NASASpaceflight.com

NASA managers are pushing through the shutdown of the Constellation Program (CxP) at a pace, with a series of memos showing all the Ares test flights have already been cancelled, along Orion ‘defunded’ and returned to the sole control of contractor Lockheed Martin. Meanwhile, MOD director Paul Hill has written to NASA administrator Charlie Bolden, requesting the Agency promotes MOD to the commercial sector.

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ZERO-G announces the ZERO-G WEIGHTLESS LAB, an affordable way to conduct formal research in a microgravity environment. (PRNewsFoto/Zero Gravity Corporation, Steve Boxall)

ZERO-G PRESS RELEASE

Today, Zero Gravity Corporation (ZERO-G) announced the establishment of the ZERO-G WEIGHTLESS LAB. The specially designed two-day program provides the only commercial access to Martian, Lunar, zero and hyper gravity environments for scientific research. The program is open to academic, corporate and government agency applicants.

“The establishment of the ZERO-G WEIGHTLESS LAB demonstrates ZERO-G and Space Adventures’ continued commitment to open the space frontier to all,” said Eric Anderson, President and CEO of Space Adventures/ZERO-G. “The ZERO-G WEIGHTLESS LAB provides open access for commercial and government entities to conduct research in a reduced gravity environment that is not only affordable, but available today. The microgravity laboratory is completely operational; no test flights, development effort, or outside investment is required. Space is open for business!”

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Hardest part of free-fall from 120,000 feet is sitting in suit
Seattle P-I

The hardest part about riding a balloon up to 120,000 feet, jumping out and free-falling faster than sound before parachuting to Earth is likely to be sitting around in the pressure suit, Austrian pilot Felix Baumgartner said Wednesday.

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International Space Station

Joint Statement: International Space Station Heads of Agency

The heads of the International Space Station (ISS) agencies from Canada, Europe, Japan, Russia and the United States met in Tokyo, Japan, on 11 March 2010, to review ISS cooperation. With the assembly of the ISS nearing completion and the capability to support a full-time crew of six established, they noted the outstanding opportunities now offered by the ISS for on-orbit research and for discovery including the operation and management of the world’s largest international space complex. In particular, they noted the unprecedented opportunities that enhanced use of this unique facility provides to drive advanced science and technology. This research will deliver benefits to humanity on Earth while preparing the way for future exploration activities beyond low-Earth orbit. The ISS will also allow the partnership to experiment with more integrated international operations and research, paving the way for enhanced collaboration on future international missions.

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My friend Clark Lindsey over at Hobby Space points to an account of XCOR CEO Jeff Greason’s remarks earlier today during the Goddard Memorial Symposium. Policy analyst Marcia Smith reports that Greason was quite blunt in laying out the options for America’s human spaceflight program:

Stressing that he was expressing his own views and had no special knowledge of the Obama plan other than what he reads in the media, he recounted some of the discussions that transpired in the Augustine committee deliberations that led to the conclusion that the Constellation program was not executable.  “Constellation was designed for a budget twice what it got.  That’s what unexecutable means,” he said, adding that it would require “four, five, six billion dollar increases every year for the rest of time” to be successful, including operations….

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ISRO aborted a static test of GSLV Mk III liquid core stage about 50 seconds early due to an anomaly.

China plans to launch third unmanned moon probe around 2013
Xinhua

China plans to launch its third unmanned probe to the moon, Chang’e-3, around 2013 and expects to complete the three-phase moon mission in 2017, an official said here Wednesday.

The remarks by Ye Peijian, chief designer of Chang’e-1, the country’s first moon probe, and chief commander of Chang’e-2 and Chang’e-3, followed presentations by two space exploration experts last week.

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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

A couple of items about efforts to keep the space shuttle fleet flying beyond the four scheduled ISS missions the program has left. AFP reports that it is possible but would be very costly:

The US space shuttle fleet can continue flying beyond NASA’s September 30 deadline if the money is made available to keep it going, a US space agency official told reporters Tuesday.

“I think the real issue that the agency and the nation has to address is the expense,” said Space Shuttle Program Manager John Shannon, noting the shuttle fleet costs the National Aeronautics and Space Administration 200 million dollars per month to maintain it in working condition.

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A taikonaut emerges from China's Shenzhou 7 spacecraft after a successful orbital flight

China’s first two women astronauts selected
Xinhua

China has selected its second batch of astronauts, including five men and two women, the first time women have joined the country’s space mission.

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SpaceX's Falcon 9 on the pad at Cape Canaveral. (Credit: Chris Thompson/SpaceX)

SPACEX STATUS UPDATE
March 9, 2010

Today SpaceX performed our first Static Fire for the Falcon 9 launch vehicle.  We counted down to an T-2 seconds and aborted on Spin Start.  Given that this was our first abort event on this pad, we decided to scrub for the day to get a good look at the rocket before trying again.  Everything looks great at first glance.

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A400M woes push EADS into the red
Associated Press

Airbus parent company EADS NV reported Tuesday that spiraling costs on its military transport plane and its A380 superjumbo pushed it into the red and warned that both programs will be loss-making for years.

Paris-based European Aeronautic Defence & Space Co. said it lost euro1.05 billion ($1.44 billion) in the three months to December after booking charges of euro1.6 billion for the A400M military project and euro240 million for the A380 in the period. The loss compares to a euro490 million net profit a year earlier.

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