South Korea and India have agreed to deepen their cooperation in a wide range of technological areas, including space:
The KARI-ISRO pact outlines future cooperation in space communication, ways to enhance capabilities of remote control probes and promote growth of space-related sciences.
Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy Space Center
A new report from Brevard Workforce paints a dismal picture of the impact that NASA’s phase out of the space shuttle will have on the economy:
An overview of AWO study results indicates the Shuttle today employs a prime, sub-tier and related base support workforce level of approximately 2,000 civil servants and 9,160 Shuttle-related employees in the state of Florida, with approximately 6,140 of those employees, with the United Space Alliance (USA). The total estimated shuttle-related payroll for this workforce is estimated at approximately $660,000,000, with USA accounting for approximately $414,450,000 of that total….
Of the 9,160 total current Shuttle-related workers, the Phase III analysis estimates that approximately 6,400 to 7,000 will be impacted as they will not easily transition, at this time, to known new programs and therefore resources are required to provide transition assistance for these impacted workers.
ESA PRESS RELEASE
Slovenia becomes the sixth European country to sign the European Cooperating State Agreement with ESA.
ESA’s Director of Legal Affairs and External Relations, Peter Hulsroj, and Slovenian Minister of Higher Education, Science and Technology, Gregor Golobic, signed the agreement at ESTEC, Noordwijk, The Netherlands, on 22 January 2010.
NASA MISSION UPDATE
The most powerful camera aboard a NASA spacecraft orbiting Mars will soon be taking photo suggestions from the public.
Since arriving at Mars in 2006, the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment, or HiRISE, camera on NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has recorded nearly 13,000 observations of the Red Planet’s terrain. Each image covers dozens of square miles and reveal details as small as a desk. Now, anyone can nominate sites for pictures.
NASA will study the use of Ad Astra Rocket Company’s VASIMR engine for use on a lunar tug.
I received a statement from Katherine Bennell, one of three ISU alumni who helped to create the Starwalker astronaut reality show. The trio withdrew from the Australia-based effort in December. Below is a statement explaining their withdrawal from the effort, which is now being led by filmmaker and author Jonathan Nolan.
The Space Review looks at funding for asteroid defense and electromagnetic pulses.
Monday, January 25, 2010, 2-3:30 PM PST: We welcome back Chris Carberry to discuss the upcoming BLITZ. Tuesday, January 26, 2010, 7-8:30 PM PST: We welcome back John Powell of J.P. Aerospace. Copies of his Apogee book “Floating To Space” will be given away to callers. Friday, January 29, 2010, 9:30-11:30 AM PST: Dr. Haym Benaroya from Rutgers University is our guest. He will be discussing lunar habitat engineering and […]
ISRO PRESS RELEASE
Jan. 24, 2010
Indian Space Research Organisation successfully conducted the static test of its largest solid booster S200 at Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC), Sriharikota today (January 24, 2010). The successful test of S200 makes it the third largest solid booster in the world, next to the RSRM solid booster of Space Shuttle and P230 solid booster of ARIANE-5. The S200 solid booster will form the strap-on stage for the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mark III (GSLV-Mk III) which is currently under advanced stage of development for launching 4 ton class of communication satellites.
ASTRIUM PRESS RELEASE
Highlights
* New orders totalling more than €8 billion
* 11% increase in sales to over €4.8 billion
* Astrium is developing new space based technologies for the environment
Paris, 19 January 2010 – Astrium CEO François Auque presented the company’s results for 2009 and its prospects for the coming year at the annual New Year’s press conference. In 2009 Astrium successfully delivered seven Ariane 5 launchers, which placed a total of 14 satellites in orbit and signed a contract worth more than €4 billion for a further 35 Ariane 5 launch vehicles. Launch highlights included the Herschel Space Observatory, the largest ever space telescope, the Hot Bird 10 broadcast satellite and the Amazonas 2 telecommunications satellite.
Artists conception of SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft in orbit
Space News is reporting that the Obama Administration wants to fund a multi-billion dollar effort to help develop commercial human transportation to orbit:
NASA will not be getting the $1 billion budget boost civil space advocates had hoped to see when President Barack Obama sends his 2011 spending proposal to Congress Feb. 1, requiring the U.S. space agency to make even tougher than expected choices about the future of its manned space program, according to sources with close ties to the administration. These sources declined to reveal the fate of NASA’s planned Ares 1 crew launch vehicle, which many observers see as a likely cancellation target, but they did say the budget proposal would fund a multibillion-dollar effort to foster development of commercial systems for ferrying astronauts to the international space station.
Exterior View of Genesis module
Private Space Stations Edge Closer to Reality
Space.com
Beyond low-Earth orbit, Bigelow Aerospace also has its sights on expandable space habitats for Lagrangian Point L1, partway between the moon and the Earth….
“If we can deploy and gang together modules in low-Earth orbit, you can do it in L1…and you are 85 percent of the way to the moon,” [Robert] Bigelow said. In fact, one scenario Bigelow Aerospace has already blueprinted is the soft landing of a trio of attached BA-330 modules — including astronauts — on the moon.
