From MSNBC "Astronauts and other space experts are calling for the formation of new international organizations to monitor a threat that may not be as imminent as the current financial crisis but would be even more catastrophic: a cosmic collision with an asteroid or comet.
Such organizations would make contingency plans to divert threatening near-Earth objects, and recommend how to proceed when those plans actually have to come into play. But the final decision to take action should be left up to the U.N. Security Council, the panel says.
The call to action, issued last Thursday, is the result of a three-year process spearheaded by the Association of Space Explorers - and particularly by Apollo 9 astronaut Rusty Schweickart, chairman of the association's committee on near-Earth objects, or NEOs.
One bad cosmic collision can ruin your whole day - or eon, as the dinosaurs discovered 65 million years ago. Based on Earth's impact history, scientists estimate that the planet suffers a hit capable of destroying civilizations every 500,000 to a million years on average - the so-called "background risk" for a NEO strike.
We're not facing any known NEO threat right now, but every once in a while a space rock comes along that gives the scientists pause, at least until its orbit can be defined with greater accuracy. It was that way with the asteroid 1997 XF11 a decade ago, and with the asteroid Apophis a couple of years ago.
The worries about Apophis have receded, but Schweickart told me we can expect many more worries to crop up as new observatories focus on NEOs in the years to come."
From Wired.com "With a successful Falcon 1 launch under their belt, all eyes are now on the SpaceX team and the larger Falcon 9 rocket scheduled to be shipped to Cape Canaveral, Florida, late this year to prep for its NASA cargo flights.
Falcon 9 has nine Merlin rocket engines to Falcon 1's one, hence the 9 and the 1 in their names, and is capable of taking cargo, and eventually crew, to and from the International Space Station. The maiden voyage of the Falcon 9 is scheduled for the first quarter of 2009 from the larger launch pad SpaceX is currently refurbishing at the Cape. (Map of SpaceX's Kwajalein and Cape launch sites are shown below.)
After Falcon 9's first flight there are three commercial payloads and two NASA Commercial Orbital Transportation System, or COTS, demonstration flights scheduled for 2009. The first COTS flight will simply fly cargo to orbit, do some maneuvering and then come home. The second cargo mission will demonstrate its ability to safely and accurately maneuver and execute close-proximity operations using the Falcon 9's spent upper stage as a proxy for the International Space Station. The third COTS demonstration flight, currently scheduled for 2010, will fly a full cargo delivery profile, including docking to the International Space Station.
If SpaceX meets all of these milestones they will receive their full $278 million COTS award. To put that in perspective, NASA awarded a $3.9 billion cost-plus contract to Lockheed Martin to develop the pressurized Orion capsule that will carry the crew atop the Ares I rocket. NASA has already modified the contract to Lockheed to add in two additional abort tests and to push back the program two years. The modification alone cost them an additional $385 million, more than NASA will pay SpaceX for the Falcon 9 rocket and pressurized Dragon capsule should the flights prove successful. Quite a bargain."
From MSNBC "NASA said Monday it is delaying its mission to the Hubble Space Telescope until next year because of a serious breakdown of the observatory in orbit.
Space shuttle Atlantis had been scheduled to blast off in just two weeks, but a new and unexpected problem with the Hubble appeared on Saturday night when the telescope stopped sending science data.
That potentially means a new repair issue for the astronauts to confront — one that they haven't trained for and never anticipated."
From MSNBC "After three unsuccessful tries, SpaceX launched its two-stage Falcon 1 rocket into orbit for the first time on Sunday — potentially changing the cost equation for spaceflight.
"That was frickin' awesome," Elon Musk, SpaceX's millionaire founder and chief executive officer, told cheering employees at the six-year-old company's headquarters in Hawthorne, Calif.
"There were a lot of people who thought we couldn't do it ... but, you know, as the saying goes, 'The fourth time's the charm,'" he said after the rocket soared into orbit from its launch pad on Omelek Island, 2,500 miles (4,000 kilometers) southwest of Hawaii in the Pacific Ocean.
The ascent to orbit was broadcast live on the Web, from cameras positioned on the ground as well on the rocket itself.
Success after failure The launch company's first undisputed success came after an oh-so-close failure on Aug. 2, when the timing was off on the shutdown of the Falcon 1's first-stage engine. Instead of separating cleanly, the first stage bumped into the second stage and knocked it off course. That led to the loss of three satellites, including a NASA prototype solar sail and small experimental satellites from NASA as well as the Defense Department."
China has accomplished its first space walk, with Chinese astronaut Zhai Zhigang stepping outside the Shenzhou 7 spacecraft now orbiting Earth.
Making use of a made-in-China Feitian space suit, the tethered Zhai carried out the space walk waving to those at the Beijing Aerospace Control Center.
The 42-year old Zhai said he felt well in the opening moments of his space walk, carefully maneuvering about using several hand-holds mounted on the outside of the Shenzhou 7 spacecraft.
Zhai also took a test sample of solid lubricant mounted outside the Shenzhou orbital module, handing it back to his colleague Liu Boming who stayed within the orbital module, suited in Russian-made space garb.
The Shenzhou 7 carries a crew of three. At mission's end the trio is to land on the Inner Mongolia Steppe on Sunday.
From UniverseToday.com "NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has revealed hundreds of small fractures exposed on the Martian surface that billions of years ago directed flows of water through underground Martian sandstone. Researchers used images from the spacecraft's HiRISE (High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment) camera. Images of layered rock deposits at equatorial Martian sites show the clusters of fractures to be a type called deformation bands, caused by stresses below the surface in granular or porous bedrock. "Groundwater often flows along fractures such as these, and knowing that these are deformation bands helps us understand how the underground plumbing may have worked within these layered deposits," said Chris Okubo of the U.S. Geological Survey in Flagstaff, Ariz.
Visible effects of water on the color and texture of rock along the fractures provide evidence that groundwater flowed extensively along the fractures. "These structures are important sites for future exploration and investigations into the geological history of water and water-related processes on Mars," Okubo and co-authors state in a report published online this month in the Geological Society of America Bulletin."
From BBCnews "A postgraduate student who uses his love of hip-hop to make science easier to understand has been commissioned by space agency NASA to write a rap.
Jonathan Chase, who is studying at the University of Glamorgan in south Wales, was asked to come up with the Astrobiology Rap for a NASA magazine.
The song and video can be seen on You Tube and Mr Chase, from Wembley, London, will visit schools in Wales.
Mr Chase said he wanted to make scientific ideas more accessible.
The song features lyrics like: "We've been on Earth for many years and we are still producing answers; as time passes, collective knowledge advances".
The 28-year-old science communication student has also been asked to perform his rap at the science museum in London on Wednesday. "
From Space-Travel.com "Mankind's very survival depends on the future exploration of space, said NASA chief Michael Griffin in an interview with AFP marking the 50th anniversary of the US space agency.
This journey, said the veteran physicist and aerospace engineer, is full of unknowns and has only just begun.
"Does the survival of human kind depend upon it? I think so," he said.
Griffin compared the first walk on the Moon with Christopher Columbus's first voyage to the Americas.
"He travelled for months and spent a few weeks in the Americas and returned home. He could hardly have said to have explored the New World.
"So we have just begun to touch other worlds," said Griffin.
"I think we must return to the Moon because it's the next step. It's a few days from home," he said, adding Mars was also "only a few months" from Earth.
But Griffin acknowledged that like the 15th century explorers who embarked on their adventures without knowing what they would find, a leap of faith is required for space travel.
"As we move out in our solar system, expanding human presence, we can't prove what we will find will be useful.
"It was understood in Columbus's time that if voyagers discovered new lands they would find valuable things. We can't prove today that we can exploit what we find to the benefit of humankind."
However, in the long run, Griffin believes "human populations must diversify if it wishes to survive."
In explaining his goals for NASA in testimony to Congress in 2004, Griffin said: "The single overarching goal of human space flight is the human settlement of the solar system, and eventually beyond."
All seems to be ready as China prepares to launch its Shenzhou 7 mission - the most complicated piloted space trek for that country to date.
A three-person crew is set to rocket into Earth orbit atop a Long March booster early this morning. If all goes according to plan, one of the trio will conduct China's first space walk - a prelude to even bolder steps in the future such as building a space station.
To keep track of the mission, look for special TV coverage by CCTV in English. To watch the mission unfold, go to:
A history making event in China is underway - China's three-person Shenzhou 7 is now orbiting the Earth. Launched atop a Long March booster, the spacecraft has successfully entered orbit, unfurling its energy-providing solar panels.
Chinese President Hu attended the liftoff, wishing the trio of space travelers well on their journey.
If all goes according to plan, China's first space walk will be staged.
President Hu said the mission "raised to a higher level" China's piloted space program.
From Discovery.com "The sun is taking a once-in-a-century nap, say solar researchers. The sun's wind of hot particles is now blowing with less vigor and less heat than at any time since the start of the Space Age in the mid-20th century, according to data collected by the 18-year-old Ulysses spacecraft.
As a result, the cozy bubble of charged solar particles that fills the solar system is shrinking, exposing Earth and other planets to the onslaught of needling galactic cosmic rays which are normally held at bay by the solar wind.
"It's a big deal," said Nancy Crooker, solar researcher at Boston University. "It's the first time we've measured these conditions. It's expanding our horizons of what we can do and compare."
From UniverseToday.com "The robotic arm on NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander slid a rock out of the way during the mission's 117th Martian day (Sept. 22, 2008) in order to take a look at the soil underneath the rock, and to see at what depth the subsurface ice was under the rock. The lander's Surface Stereo Imager took this image later the same day, showing the rock, called "Headless," after the arm pushed it about 40 centimeters (16 inches) from its previous location. "The rock ended up exactly where we intended it to," said Matt Robinson of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, robotic arm flight software lead for the Phoenix team. And what was underneath the rock?"
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Barack Obama today sent the following letter to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Speaker Nancy Pelosi, calling to renew our country's commitment to NASA and to provide a budget with sufficient resources for success in its critical missions - space exploration and human spaceflight, science and aeronautics research.
Dear Majority Leader Reid and Madam Speaker Pelosi:
This Administration's lack of leadership for our nation's space program has left Americans without access to space or the ability to support its astronauts on the International Space Station (ISS) without paying Russia for transportation. The ISS is a world-class research facility, built with approximately $100 billion of U.S. taxpayers' money. With the planned retirement of the Space Shuttle in 2010, the U.S. will be paying Russia for rides to and from the ISS, and for emergency lifeboat services, using their Soyuz spacecraft. Furthermore, at the end of 2011, NASA will no longer even have the legal authority to continue paying Russia for Soyuz flights, so unless we act immediately, the U.S. will abandon its role in supporting, and benefiting from, missions to this amazing facility, leaving it to our international partners.
The Bush administration's plan to have astronauts explore beyond low-earth orbit, returning to the Moon and then on to Mars, has never been funded adequately. In order to pay for this program, all other NASA programs have been short-changed ? from our important earth and space science missions to investment in critical aeronautics programs. The very engine of innovation for our nation, investment in research and technology, has been all but eliminated at NASA. America needs to renew its commitment to NASA and to provide sustained, stable direction with an honest budget and sufficient resources for success across all of its critical missions: Human Spaceflight, Science, and Aeronautics Research.
As Dr. Michael Griffin, the NASA administrator, said recently, "In a rational world, (NASA) would have been allowed to pick a Shuttle retirement date to be consistent with Ares/Orion availability, (NASA) would have been asked to deploy Ares/Orion as early as possible (rather than "not later than 2014") and we would have been provided the necessary budget to make it so" [NASA e-mail, 8/18/08]. Regrettably, the current administration has not behaved rationally and, with the Russian invasion of Georgia, NASA is now left with more limited options, all of them much worse than if the administration and their Republican allies in Congress had thought through the strategic consequences of these decisions five years ago.
Because of this failure of leadership, America is now faced with three less-than-optimal options:
-Ask Congress to renew the existing waiver for the Iran-North Korea-Syria Non-proliferation Act (INKSNA) and rely on Russia to launch and retrieve our own astronauts on the Space Station between the imminent retirement of the Space Shuttle and the first launch of an operational replacement for the Shuttle.
-Do nothing and abandon American commitments to the International Space Station between 2012 and 2015, relinquishing our $100 billion dollar investment to the Russians and our other international partners.
-Increase NASA's funding significantly to extend our use of the Space Shuttle beyond 2010 as partial mitigation for the gap in American access to low-earth orbit and for our dependence on Soyuz, while also providing a smoother transition of NASA's Shuttle workforce, infrastructure, and capabilities to new systems.
Administrator Griffin has initiated an analysis of the third option to determine its feasibility, cost, and schedule implications. The results should be available in the November timeframe so that the President-elect's transition team can prepare appropriate action along with appropriate FY2010 budgeting. NASA's appropriators, however, should be prepared to consider increasing NASA's budget to extend safe Shuttle operations beyond 2010 and to accelerate government and private-sector efforts to provide human access to low-earth orbit. Any effort to extend the Shuttle program must receive adequate funding, ensuring that progress on developing new vehicles is not further delayed by diverting funds to the Shuttle.
In the meantime, while we await the results of NASA's Shuttle study, there are three concrete steps that Congress should take immediately. I urge you to:
-Extend NASA's waiver of INKSNA so we keep that option open for allowing U.S. astronauts to utilize the ISS beyond 2011.
-Demand that NASA take no further action that would make it more difficult or expensive to fly the Shuttle beyond 2010.
-Provide additional funding in FY2009 above that contemplated in the pending appropriations bills to support the single extra Shuttle flight already approved overwhelmingly by both House and Senate authorizers earlier this year.
NASA should be funded appropriately to carry out its important goals. In 1961, President Kennedy inspired America to explore the heavens. He set difficult goals for NASA but, importantly, he and a Democratic Congress provided NASA with the resources necessary for success. And succeed they did. NASA helped America win the Cold War without firing a single shot by dazzling the world with our technological and moral leadership. It is time to dazzle them again.
From Wired.com "Sept. 23, 1846: German astronomer Johann Gottfried Galle, knowing exactly where to look, confirms the existence of an eighth planet in the solar system, Neptune.
Galle was not the first astronomer to see Neptune -- Galileo, puzzled by the changing position of what he thought was a fixed star, had sketched the movement in 1613 but never published his findings. Others had seen it, too, but Galle, working at the Berlin Observatory, was the first to observe Neptune while understanding exactly what he was looking at.
By the time Galle fixed his gaze upon Neptune, the existence of a planet beyond Uranus was widely predicted and its position had been intensely calculated. In fact, other astronomers were quarreling over who owned the priority of discovery.
A Frenchman, Urbain Le Verrier, had worked out a complicated set of mathematical predictions based on anomalies in Uranus' orbit, and those, in fact, were what Galle was using when he spotted Neptune. Le Verrier had also taken care to make his predictions public. Meanwhile, the young British mathematician John Couch Adams, working independently, had reached similar conclusions, but confined himself to sharing the data with colleagues at Cambridge University.
The key to their calculations was Uranus.
Irregularities had been observed in the planet's orbit, irregularities that suggested possible gravitational interference by another heavenly body. French astronomer Alexis Bouvard first noted this in 1821, when he published observations of Uranus' orbit..."
From Astrobiology Magazine "What’s a NASA astronaut doing “flying” a submarine around in a lake in British Columbia? Getting ready for human exploration of the moon.
“That’s the first question people ask,” said Mike Gernhardt, an astronaut who has flown on four Space Shuttle missions. “How does exploring a lake in a submersible relate to exploring the moon in a rover?”
Gernhardt is one of a half-dozen researchers who trained early this summer to become mini-submarine pilots in preparation for the Pavilion Lake Research Project (PLRP), which took place in July. Pavilion Lake is of interest to scientists because it contains large coral-like structures, known as microbialites, which are believed to have been formed by bacteria. Researchers have been studying the lake for nearly a decade, and earlier this year, for the first time, they explored it in a pair of one-person submarines known as DeepWorkers.
Gernhardt joined the project because he hoped it would provide insight into the planning process for the next wave of human lunar exploration. “What we’re trying to understand here is this intersection between operational discipline” – following a pre-planned sequence to the letter – “and scientific exploration. There’s an optimal balance there and we don’t know exactly what that is right now.”
Gernhardt leads the NASA group responsible for designing the rovers and spacesuits and for developing the operational procedures that will be used by the explorers who travel to the moon in the next decade. Although floating underwater in a submarine bears little apparent resemblance to driving around on the dry, dusty, surface of the moon, Gernhardt said there are important similarities that make the Pavilion Lake experience a valuable test bed for future lunar explorers."
From MSNBC "The seasons are a powerful force in our lives. They affect the activities we do, the foods we crave, the clothes we wear — and quite often, the moods we are in. The seasons officially change once again Monday, with autumn beginning in the Northern Hemisphere and spring starting in the south.
What is it that causes the change in seasons?
The ability to predict the seasons — by tracking the rising and setting points of the sun throughout the year — was key to survival in ancient times. Babylonians, the Maya and other cultures developed complex systems for monitoring seasonal shifts. But it took centuries more to unravel the science behind the seasons."
Head's up...but only if you happen to be lounging around in a remote stretch of the south Pacific ocean.
The European Space Agency's (ESA) Jules Verne Automated Transfer Vehicle -- or ATV for short -- is to be purposely reentered next Monday, September 29th.
The huge, cargo-carrying ATV supply ship was docked to the International Space Station for over five months. Its job now done, ESA and NASA officials are working together to observe the controlled reentry and destruction of ATV-1 from two aircraft. The fireball reentry may be observed from the crew onboard the International Space Station too.
The unpiloted ATV is larger in size than previous controlled reentries, like Russia's Progress supply ships, but smaller than other spacecraft that have reentered, such as the Russian Salyut and Mir space stations.
If you want to keep track of the NASA Ames Research Center project to witness the ATV reentry, shoot yourself via the Internet to:
China's piloted space program is poised for a major step forward as technicians ready the Shenzhou 7 spaceship for blastoff as early as September 25th.
At China's Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwestern Gansu Province, space engineers have rolled out to the pad a Long March II-F rocket. It is topped by the Shenzhou 7 spacecraft, complete with escape tower.
The rocket's vertical rollout took more than an hour, riding upon a heavy rail line.
This Shenzhou 7 mission will carry a trio of taikonauts: Zhai Zhigang, Liu Boming and Jing Haipeng. Of that threesome, Zhai is to make China's first spacewalk.
The Shenzhou 7 flight builds upon two previously flown missions: a one-person trek in 2003; a two-person trip in 2005.
China has become the third country to independently have the ability to place humans in orbit. The former Soviet Union, now Russia, demonstrated that skill in 1961, followed by the United States in 1962.
It is expected that next week's liftoff of Shenzhou 7 marks a practice run at developing in-space skills to assemble China's own space station requiring both spacewalking know-how as well as the rendezvous and docking of large components in space.
From Universe Today "It’s a rare event anyway, but this is the last time ever. Two shuttles are now sitting on NASA's two launchpads at Kennedy Space Center. Space shuttle Endeavour completed a 4.2-mile journey to Launch Pad 39B Friday morning, Sept. 19, at 6:59 a.m. EDT, and this is the first time a shuttle has stood by as a rescue vehicle. Atlantis, over at Pad 39A is preparing for its mission to the Hubble Space Telescope, currently scheduled for Oct. 10 (although there might be an problem with that date –see below). Since Atlantis won't be going to the International Space Station which would be a "safe haven" in the event of an emergency, Endeavour will stand by in the unlikely event a rescue mission is necessary. After Endeavour is cleared from its duty as a rescue vehicle, it will move to Launch Pad 39A for the upcoming STS-126 mission to the International Space Station. That flight is targeted for launch Nov. 12. This Saturday, there will be a good photo op as the Rotating Service Structures for Endeavour will be rolled back, making both the shuttles more visible. Robert Pearlman at CollectSPACE.com has a full list of the 17 times in history two shuttles sat on the launchpads, and some great pictures, too."
From NASAspaceflight.com "From a hardware standpoint, the space shuttle fleet could technically fly until 2015, involving up to 13 extra flights - that's the result of the opening findings from the on-going extension assessment.
Several options - all based around flying two orbiters past 2010, with the support of an ISS "lifeboat" - have been created, although the forward plan of extending the Iran/North Korea/Syria Agreement (INKSA) waiver to utilize the Russian Soyuz remains the favored approach."
From Floridatoday.com "The chance of bad weather overnight prompted NASA officials to push back rollout of shuttle Endeavour at least 24 hours.
Launch managers met tonight and were concerned thunderstorms north and south of Kennedy Space Center might creep into the area and damage the spaceship during a seven-hour move from the Vehicle Assembly Building out to launch pad 39B.
The shuttle had been slated to begin the 4.2-mile trip at 12:01 a.m. The start of the journey is tentatively being rescheduled for the same time Friday."
While everybody is talking about bridges to nowhere....take note that there's a groundbreaking event today at Spaceport America in New Mexico - constructing a road to somewhere.
The New Mexico Spaceport Authority (NMSA) and the New Mexico Department of Transportation will break ground today on road improvements at the site. That improved road is a step toward providing better access and allow the construction process at Spaceport America to continue on schedule.
Officials are hoping to have the work completed before year's end - with the Reiman Corporation doing the job with over 15 years experience in New Mexico.
Spaceport America is the first "purpose-built" commercial space facility. It will be the launch site for rockets and passenger-carrying spaceships. Already, such groups as Lockheed Martin, Up Aerospace, Virgin Galactic, Microgravity Enterprises and Payload Specialities are working with the NMSA to make use of Spaceport America.
The NMSA currently projects that licensed vertical launches can begin in the first quarter of 2009. Also, a Spaceport America terminal and hangar facility for horizontal launches should be completed by 2010.
The Indian government has approved work on an Indo-Russian lunar rover mission, projected to launch in 2011-2012.
India's interest in the Moon is moving forward - bolstered in part by that country's launch of its Chandrayaan-1 expected to head for lunar orbit this October.
India has started detailing a Chandrayaan-2 mission, one that involves a lander/rover making on-the-spot measurements of available resources on the Moon. An agreement for the second lunar spacecraft mission has been signed between the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) and Roskosmos - the Russian Federal Space Agency.
Indian news agencies are reporting that the upcoming liftoff of that country's first Moon orbiter is set for the October 19-26th time period.
From MSNBC "MOSCOW - Moscow is ready to help Cuba develop its own space center, Russia's space agency chief said on Wednesday after talks in Caracas with Venezuelan and Cuban officials, Itar-Tass news agency reported.
Russia has stepped up efforts to develop closer links with both countries, which are ideological enemies of Washington, including sending Russian strategic bombers on a mission to Venezuela this month.
"We have held preliminary discussions about the possibility of creating a space center in Cuba with our help," the chief of Russia's Federal Space Agency Anatoly Perminov was quoted as saying by Itar-Tass in Caracas."
From Hubblesite.org "NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has captured a rare alignment between two spiral galaxies. The outer rim of a small, foreground galaxy is silhouetted in front of a larger background galaxy. Skeletal tentacles of dust can be seen extending beyond the small galaxy's disk of starlight. From ground-based telescopes, the two galaxies look like a single blob. But the Advanced Camera's sharp "eye" distinguished the blob as two galaxies, cataloged as 2MASX J00482185-2507365. The images were taken on Sept. 19, 2006."
From MSNBC "NASA is tip-toeing once again into what was once called the N-word — nuclear — with a technology development program aimed at powering its planned base on the moon.
The goal of the Fission Surface Power Project, which is based at NASA's Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio, is to produce a non-nuclear prototype unit within five years.
NASA's last foray into nuclear technologies was a project that began in 2003 known as Prometheus, which focused on both nuclear propulsion and nuclear-powered generators that ultimately could be used to support a manned mission to Mars and for deep-space probes, such as a mission to Jupiter's ocean-bearing moon Europa. "
In November, 2007, a small group of six citizens - two screenwriters, a physicist, a marine biologist, a philosopher and a science journalist - began working to restore science and innovation to America’s political dialogue. They called themselves Science Debate 2008, and they called for a presidential debate on science. The call tapped a wellspring of concern over the state of American science.
Within weeks, more than 38,000 scientists, engineers, and other concerned Americans signed on, including nearly every major American science organization, dozens of Nobel laureates, elected officials and business leaders, and the presidents of over 100 major American universities. Among other things, these signers submitted over 3,400 questions they want the candidates for President to answer about science and the future of America.
The Process
Beginning with these 3,400 questions, Science Debate 2008 worked with the leading organizations listed to craft the top 14 questions the candidates should answer. These questions are broad enough to allow for wide variations in response, but they are specific enough to help guide the discussion toward many of the largest and most important unresolved challenges currently facing the United States.
11. Space. The study of Earth from space can yield important information about climate change; focus on the cosmos can advance our understanding of the universe; and manned space travel can help us inspire new generations of youth to go into science. Can we afford all of them? How would you prioritize space in your administration?
John McCain
The real question is whether we can afford not to. We must ensure that we have a balanced approach to our space investments along with proper management controls. Today, we rely more upon our space based assets than at any other time in history. We need the technological advances of these systems to effectively address tremendous challenges such as climate change. Failure to properly address these problems will have devastating effects on the future of the planet.
For the past 50 years, space activities have contributed greatly to US scientific discovery, national security, economic development, and national innovation, pride and power (the ultimate example of which was the U.S. victory over the Soviets in the race to the moon). Spurred on by the Soviet Union's launch of Sputnik, the world's first satellite, and the concern that the U.S was falling behind in science and technology, U.S. policymakers enacted several policy actions to firmly establish the U.S. dominance in science and technology. Among them were the establishment of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the national Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), increased research funding, and a reformulation of the nation's science and technology education system.
Today, more than 50 years after Sputnik, the US faces a very different world. The end of the Cold War and the space race has greatly reduced the profile of space exploration as a point of national pride and an emblem of U.S. power and thus created some degree of "mission-rut" for NASA. At the same time, the scientific community views the use of space as an important observation platform for advancing science by increasing our understanding of the solar system and the universe. In addition, our recent comprehension of the Earth's changing climate is based on data that we have received from our weather and Earth observation satellites. Much of our communications infrastructure is dependent upon space based assets that are essential to the quality of our everyday lives and the economy.
China, Russia, India, Japan and Europe are all active players in space exploration. Both Japan and China launched robotic lunar orbiters in 2007. India is planning to launch a lunar orbiter later this year. The European Space Agency (ESA) is looking into a moon-lander, but is more focused on Mars. China also is actively pursuing a manned space program and, in 2003, became only the third country after the USSR and the US to demonstrate the capability to send man to space. China is developing plans for a manned lunar mission in the next decade and the establishment of a lunar base after 2020.
Activity within the commercial sector continues to increase beyond the traditional role of launching satellites. In 2007, the X-Prize Foundation announced a prize of $30 million in a global competition to build the first robotic rover capable of landing on the Moon. Several companies are planning to develop and build spacecraft for space tourism.
I understand the importance of investments in key industries such as space to the future of our national security, environmental sustainability, economic competitiveness, and national pride as a technological leader. Although the general view in the research community is that human exploration is not an efficient way to increase scientific discoveries given the expense and logistical limitations, the role of manned space flight goes well beyond the issue of scientific discovery and is reflection of national power and pride.
History provides some guide to this. In 1971, when the Nixon Administration was looking at canceling the Apollo program and not approving the development of the Space Shuttle - then Office of Management and Budget Deputy Director Casper Weinberger stated that such a policy: "would be confirming in some respects a belief that I fear is gaining credence at home and abroad: That our best years are behind us, that we are turning inward, reducing our defense commitments, and voluntarily starting to give up our super-power status and our desire to maintain world superiority." Three and a half decades later this seems equally valid, if not more so given the increased number of countries that are making significant investments in space.
I have been involved in a number of efforts to improve America's scientific prowess within the space arena. As Chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, I played a major role in legislation to provide funding for space exploration (manned and unmanned), space science, Earth science, and aeronautics research. I also sponsored legislation to support the up and coming commercial space industry, and led the Senate's efforts to implement improvements to NASA after the Columbia accident. I also spearheaded efforts to control costs at NASA and promote a space exploration agenda based on sound management, safe practices, and fiscal responsibility.
Current U.S. space operations policy commits the U.S. to completing the International Space Station (ISS) by 2010 and then terminating the Space Shuttle flights, with the completion of the ISS. I have called on the Bush Administration to suspend its decommissioning of the shuttle until the next President is in office, and to retain the option of continuing shuttle flights to the ISS in the interim period until the Ares/Orion vehicle is in service.
As President, I will --
• Ensure that space exploration is top priority and that the U.S. remains a leader;
• Commit to funding the NASA Constellation program to ensure it has the resources it needs to begin a new era of human space exploration.
• Review and explore all options to ensure U.S. access to space by minimizing the gap between the termination of the Space Shuttle and the availability of its replacement vehicle;
• Ensure the national space workforce is maintained and fully utilized; Complete construction of the ISS National Laboratory;
• Seek to maximize the research capability and commercialization possibilities of the ISS National Laboratory;
• Maintain infrastructure investments in Earth-monitoring satellites and support systems;
• Seek to maintain the nation's space infrastructure;
• Prevent wasteful earmarks from diverting precious resources from critical scientific research;
• and ensure adequate investments in aeronautics research.
Barack Obama
As president, I will establish a robust and balanced civilian space program. Under my administration, NASA not only will inspire the world with both human and robotic space exploration, but also will again lead in confronting the challenges we face here on Earth, including global climate change, energy independence, and aeronautics research. In achieving this vision, I will reach out to include international partners and to engage the private sector to amplify NASA’s reach. I believe that a revitalized NASA can help America maintain its innovation edge and contribute to American economic growth.
There is currently no organizational authority in the federal government with a sufficiently broad mandate to oversee a comprehensive and integrated strategy and policy dealing with all aspects of the government’s space-related programs, including those being managed by NASA, the Department of Defense, the National Reconnaissance Office, the Department of Commerce, the Department of Transportation, and other federal agencies. This wasn’t always the case. Between 1958 and 1973, the National Aeronautics and Space Council oversaw the entire space arena for four presidents; the Council was briefly revived from 1989 to 1992. I will re-establish this Council reporting to the president. It will oversee and coordinate civilian, military, commercial, and national security space activities. It will solicit public participation, engage the international community, and work toward a 21st century vision of space that constantly pushes the envelope on new technologies as it pursues a balanced national portfolio that expands our reach into the heavens and improves life here on Earth.
From Floridatoday.com "NASA still aims to move shuttle Endeavour out to launch pad 39B at Kennedy Space Center on Thursday while the agency continues efforts to recover from damage done by Hurricane Ike at Johnson Space Center and surrounding communities.
Mounted atop a mobile launcher platform, the shuttle is scheduled to depart the 52-story KSC Vehicle Assembly Building at 12:01 a.m. Thursday and then arrive at the pad about six to eight hours later.
Endeavour will be on standby when Atlantis blasts off from nearby pad 39A on a mission to service the Hubble Space Telescope. It would be launched on a rescue mission if Atlantis sustained damage that would endanger the vehicle and its seven-member crew during atmospheric reentry."
From MSNBC "Dust devils raging across the arctic plains of Mars were caught on film by NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander.
Phoenix captured images of at least six different dust devils that danced across the planet's surface last week, and sensed a dip in air pressure as one passed near the lander.
These whirlwinds, which are somewhat like gentle tornadoes and are common in the American Southwest, too, had been expected in Phoenix's landing site near the north pole (they've been seen from above by orbiting spacecraft) but not confirmed by the spacecraft until now."
New insight into the past climate of Mars. That's the role of a new, just selected mission to the red planet.
NASA has selected the University of Colorado at Boulder to lead in the development of the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution spacecraft - or MAVEN for short.
The university's Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP) has received the largest research contract in its history -- $485 million -- to lead the design, building and operation of MAVEN. The orbiter is slated to be lofted toward the red planet in 2013.
MAVEN is the second mission in NASA's Mars Scout program - the first of that series, the Phoenix lander, now sits on the surface of Mars and is busy at work.
At a press gathering at the university today, MAVEN's lead scientist, Bruce Jakosky, said his team is ready to go.
Lockheed Martin Space Systems in neighboring Littleton, Colorado, will build the MAVEN spacecraft. Also onboard in developing MAVEN is the University of California, Berkeley, as well as NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.
Mars scientist, Jakosky, said that the MAVEN Mars orbiter will gather data to help unravel the history of Mars' atmosphere and water. That information will assist in determining what role the loss of such compounds as carbon dioxide, nitrogen dioxide and water -- to space from the Martian atmosphere has played in the planet's evolution.
If all goes as planned, MAVEN will provide definitive answers about Mars climate history - yet another piece of the puzzle that probes the planet's potential for harboring life over the ages.
In some quarters of the aerospace community it is being portrayed as the "Silver Tsunami" - a wave of retirements by the now gray-haired workforce that shaped the space program of today.
But there's urgent need to carry on and build upon efforts of those that worked on America's pioneering space agenda - a need for a new wave of recruits to assure our aerospace future.
That's the view from Marion C. Blakey, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Aerospace Industries Association (AIA) in Washington, D.C.
Blakey has spotlighted the situation with the U.S. aerospace industry's workforce.
"Like many industries, aerospace is facing a wave of retirements of long-serving workers from the Baby Boom generation," Blakey notes. "But there are other factors that make it especially acute for our industry, and the bottom line is that we face a harmful shortage of skilled workers in the near future."
Statistics show almost 60 percent of the U.S. aerospace workforce was age 45 or older in 2007.
"Now, 45 years old is by no means old. But, as we know, our industry is one in which people often stay in their jobs for decades. Many of these skilled, valued employees also started in their positions relatively young. So a significant number of workers age 45 or older are approaching retirement eligibility or are already there," Blakey advises.
Other data that has been collected has revealed that there are insufficient numbers of college students studying engineering and other related fields to replace the retiring workforce.
"We've also seen indicators that high school students are not graduating with the science and math proficiency that would prepare them for aerospace-related degrees," Blakey observes.
The aerospace industry is moving forward to address this issue on several levels. Most companies have their own initiatives to attract qualified job candidates, and many conduct campaigns to encourage science, technology, engineering and math education - often dubbed STEM initiatives.
The Interagency Aerospace Revitalization Task Force -- a group pulled together as a result of the work of Congressman Vern Ehlers of Michigan -- has taken a very positive step forward. That task force has released a report that emphasizes cooperation among government, industry, academia and other stakeholders to address the problem.
It includes focused strategies to foster improvements, such as: sustained collaboration, integrated investments of aerospace workforce solutions, as well as knowledge sharing, inventorying of solutions and dissemination of results.
The report includes details of how to put strategies into action and identifies federal agencies that must be involved in each step.
"It's an excellent blueprint as we move forward with our efforts," Blakey explains.
From Nature.com "Just by gazing at the stars, earthling astronomers might have unwittingly picked up broadcasts from extraterrestrial civilizations. So says a neutrino physicist, adding that it might take researchers just a few months of searching to find evidence of this alien internet.
John Learned at the University of Hawaii in Honolulu and his colleagues think that signals could be sent by manipulating Cepheid variable stars. These rare stars can be seen in other galaxies more than 60 million light years from our own.
Cepheids dim and brighten regularly, in a pattern that depends on their brightness. This lets astronomers measure the distance to the stars, helping to resolve mysteries such as the Universe's age and how fast it is expanding. As such, any sufficiently advanced civilization would want to monitor such stars, the scientists reasoned."
From MSNBC
From MSNBC
From UniverseToday.com
From Discovery.com
From UniverseToday.com
