Salma Hayek

CIRQUE DU SOLEIL PRESS RELEASE

Guy Laliberte announces confirmed participation of additional world-renowned celebrities and musicians in his Poetic Social Mission, as he prepares for the Expedition 21 launch. A 120-minute global event featuring musical performances by major international artists and the reading of a poetic tale by well-known celebrities, the Poetic Social Mission seeks to raise awareness through artistic illustration of the humanitarian struggles and solutions associated with water.

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As the plane flew over the waters of the Atlantic Ocean, teachers conducted a range of experiments, including soaring like Superman, as they experienced lunar, Martian and zero gravity. Pictured: James Janski, Wells Road Intermediate School, Granby, CT (top row, left); Geoffrey Bergen, Whisconier Middle School, Brookfield, CT (top row, right); Michael Gary, J. A. DePaolo Middle School, Southington, CT (second row, right); Nina Rooks Cast, Cooley Health, Science, Technology High School, Providence, RI (second row, left), and Brian Katz, Keansburg High School, Keansburg, NJ (bottom row, left).

NORTHROP GRUMMAN FOUNDATION PROGRAM UPDATE
September 24, 2009

The Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) Foundation launched 29 teachers into weightlessness today as part of the Northrop Grumman Foundation Weightless Flights of Discovery Program. The goal: To inspire and prepare the next generation of scientists, mathematicians and engineers — critical areas where the U.S. has fallen behind globally.

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Lunar Water Means New Challenges
Aviation Week

The unequivocal and unexpected discovery of widespread water in the uppermost layer of the moon’s surface means a whole new set of challenges for engineers working on methods for future astronauts to extract lunar resources.

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Aviation Week reports that NASA and China are exploring how to deepen ties on the space front:

As a former deputy NASA administrator and the head of China’s Manned Space Engineering Office held back-channel talks, human spaceflight officials here offered an unprecedented opportunity to examine the Tiangong-1 docking target and the next in its series of Shenzhou human spacecraft, as well as previously off-limits space facilities.

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Roscosmos head Anatoly Perminov is meeting with NASA Administrator Charles Bolden today in Baikonur for their first talks since Bolden took over as head of the American space program in July.

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An artist's conception of SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket lifting off from Florida.

SpaceX preparing for next rocket engine test in October
Temple Daily Telegram

The rocket company in McGregor that is known for rattling windows around town is keeping quiet about the exact time it next fires up its rocket engines.

SpaceX spokeswoman Cassie Kloberdanz said the California-based company would conduct two separate tests of its Falcon 9 rocket engine assembly at the McGregor site “no earlier than Oct. 1.”

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Russia’s Oka-T spacecraft will be an autonomous vehicle for microgravity research designed for servicing by astronauts aboard the International Space Station.

Falcon hypersonic technology vehicle (HTV)

PRATT & WHITNEY ROCKETDYNE PRESS RELEASE

Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne has been awarded a 10-month contract by Lockheed Martin for preliminary design of the high speed accelerator for a turbine-based combined-cycle (TBCC) propulsion system, which could support flight up to Mach 6. Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne is a unit of United Technologies Corp. (NYSE: UTX).

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Canadian space tourist Guy Laliberte could be the last space tourist for many years unless the United States decides to extend shuttle missions beyond next year, the Associated Press reports:

Guy Laliberte, 50, spent about $35 million to reserve his spot on the Soyuz. He will spend 12 days aboard the orbiting outpost, and is expected to be the last space tourist to board the station for at least a few years due to the upcoming retirement of NASA’s shuttle fleet.

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Unidentified members of the winning CEMS team celebrate their victory. (I have no idea who these folks are; ESA didn't see fit to identify them in their press release. But, congrats Mystery Team!) Credits: ESA

For the fifth time, ESA hosted this month the one-week CEMS kick-off seminar for students from leading European management schools to learn about technology transfer and what it takes to turn space technology breakthroughs into viable non-space businesses.

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NASA MISSION UPDATE

NASA’s Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite mission (LCROSS) based on new analysis of available lunar data, has shifted the target crater from Cabeus A to Cabeus (proper).

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ISRO's Chandrayaan-1 lunar orbiter

Scientists would have gathered higher quality data about lunar water if India’s Chandrayaan-1 had fulfilled its full mission at the moon, Aviation Week reports:

M3 managed to map 90 percent of the lunar surface at low resolution before Chandrayaan-1 stopped transmitting signals from lunar orbit on Aug. 29, having completed 10 months of a planned two-year mission.

Had the mission continued, M3 would now be gathering high-resolution data.

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