太空探索工程 卫星发射 剪报评论

kl90

Atlantis, Endeavour launch targets move up

NASA is moving up target launch dates for its next two shuttle missions by three days each in an effort to get both off the ground before a window of opportunity closes in late November.

Atlantis and seven astronauts are tentatively scheduled to blast off Oct. 5 on a fifth and final Hubble Space Telescope servicing mission.

Endeavour and seven astronauts are tentatively scheduled to launch Nov. 7 on a mission to outfit the International Space Station for crews of six.

The dates are expected to be firmed up by senior program managers during a meeting on Aug. 14.

NASA is facing a Nov. 24 deadline to launch missions to the station this year. The sun angle on the station after that date would be such that the outpost could not generate enough power, or dispel enough heat, for a docked shuttle mission and NASA also wouldn't launch during the Christmas and New Years holidays.
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Branson to unveil space tourism ship today

Aerospace engineers have been holed up in a Mojave Desert hangar for four years, fashioning a commercial spaceship to loft rich tourists some 62 miles above Earth. Now the wraps come partially off the top-secret project.

British billionaire Sir Richard Branson and American aerospace designer Burt Rutan are due today to show off their mothership, which is designed to air launch a passenger-toting spaceship out of the atmosphere, according to reports from the Associated Press.

The rollout — a year after a deadly accident at Rutan's test site — marks the start of a rigorous flight test program that space tourism advocates hope will climax with the first suborbital joy rides by the end of the decade. More than 250 wannabe astronauts have paid $200,000 or put down deposits for a chance to float weightless for a mere five minutes.

"Having invested all my faith in it, I'm so excited to see the actual thing," said artist Namira Salim, a customer who is lined up for a ride on Branson's Virgin Galactic.

The last time there was this level of buzz in the high desert north of Los Angeles was in 2004, when throngs of spectators gathered to witness SpaceShipOne capture the $10 million Ansari X Prize by becoming the first private, manned craft to reach space. It was designed by Rutan and bankrolled by Microsoft Corp. co-founder Paul Allen.

SpaceShipOne ushered in a new space age dominated by deep-pocketed entrepreneurs with dreams of making space voyages as mundane as airplane travel. That vision remains unfulfilled.

Though technical details remain guarded, tidbits about the vehicles have trickled out: The twin-fuselage White Knight Two will have the same wingspan — 140 feet — as the Boeing B-29 Superfortress, the World War II bomber.

It will launch SpaceShipTwo, which will be the size of a corporate Gulfstream capable of carrying six passengers and two pilots. Both will be built wholly from ultra-light composite materials.

Only White Knight Two will be unveiled at today's rollout. SpaceShipTwo is only about 70 percent complete, said Virgin Galactic president Will Whitehorn.
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Pad repairs highlight busy week at KSC

At launch pad 39A this week, workers packed a heat-resistant concrete called Fondue Fyre into steel grid structures, welded to the wall of the flame trench.

Fondue Fyre was developed during NASA's Apollo lunar program. The flame trench was damaged during the May 31 launch of Discovery. Repairs are scheduled to be complete before the Oct. 8 launch of Atlantis, according to a NASA Web site.

In the Orbiter Processing Facility, closure of Atlantis' payload bay doors is targeted for today. Also, cleaning and processing of equipment bound for the Hubble Space Telescope continues.

During the October mission, Discovery crew members will install new instruments, all new gyroscopes, batteries and thermal blankets on the telescope, enhancing the abilities of Hubble for several more years of service.

pfg1group

http://news.bbc.co.uk/chinese/si ... 7531400/7531407.stm

英国富豪布兰森在美国加州为"白骑士二号"剪彩，向实现他的大胆太空旅游计划又迈进了一步。

按照设计计划，高空喷气机"白骑士二号"将作为运载飞机，把"太空船二号"送到大约1.5万米的高空，然后分离。

随后，"太空船二号"将点燃自己的发动机，爬升到11万米的高空，达到零重力状态，然后回落到地球表面。

"太空船二号"可以携带两名机组人员和六名太空旅游乘客，进入亚太空轨道，获得太空飞行的感受。

据报道，已经有大约250名旅游者分别支付20万美元，希望成为首批太空旅游者中的一员。

布兰森说，首次飞行能在一年半之后实现。

按照计划，"白骑士二号"需要经历一系列严格的飞行测试。与此同时，还需要彻底完成到目前为止已经完成70%的"太空船二号"的建造工作。

布兰森对本台BBC说，"白骑士二号"运载飞机的作用将远不仅限于太空旅游。

他说，这种飞机可以以低得多的价格把卫星送入轨道，而且还可能承担救灾任务。

布兰森还说，"再过20年，如果一切顺利，我希望我们能建立一个太空旅店，这个旅店还配备小型太空船，可以去月球游览。"

pfg1group

http://news.xinhuanet.com/tech/2008-07/30/content_8846980.htm

美国航空航天局（ＮＡＳＡ）定于当地时间２９日正式宣布一份合作协议，与其他８个国家的航天机构联合实施探月计划。

    除一家美国报纸独家先期披露部分细节以外，报道这份协议最为热衷者，当属乐见自己国家与美国在空间领域展开合作的多家印度媒体。

    宣布这份国际合作协议的时机，是美国航天局成立５０周年之日。

    八国加盟

    合作协议上星期在美国航天局位于加利福尼亚州莫菲特菲尔德的艾姆斯研究中心签署，除美方以外，还涉及印度、英国、加拿大、法国、德国、意大利、日本和韩国的航天机构。

    美印媒体对这项计划表述不同，显现期待程度不同。

    美国加州《圣何塞信使新闻》报报道，科学家希望以合作方式为新一轮以月球为对象的探测和研究打下基础。

    印度报业托拉斯则称９国合作文件为“里程碑式协议”。

    美国航天局行星科学部主任詹姆斯·格林的表述颇有戏剧性：“这有点像是一段美好友情的开始，就像电影《北非谍影》的结尾那样。”

    至于８个加盟国家参与探月计划的用意，格林说，“不少这类国家对载人航天计划相当感兴趣。它们希望提供宇航员，成为踏上月球的第一名加拿大人或第一名意大利人，甚或第一名法国男性或第一名法国女性。”

    不过，至少短期内，即今后几年内，合作计划所规划的探月项目并不涉及载人飞船，仅限于无人驾驶飞船。

    只是，不同于美国飞船独揽“阿波罗”探月计划的情形，多国飞船“舰队”将参与实施合作项目。

    “今后１０年，对月球的探测不会采取载人方式，”艾姆斯研究中心新设月球科学研究所代理主任戴维·莫里森告诉《圣何塞信使新闻》记者迈克·斯威夫特，“它将由这支国际小型（飞船）舰队实现。”

　　分担费用

    莫里森说，“最终，我认为，我们会向月球派出宇航员，但我们不必等到那时再开始探月。”

    本月２４日，美国航天局与８个加盟国家航天机构的代表一道，在艾姆斯研究中心讨论制定向月球发射登陆飞船和绕月飞行探测器以及建立月球极地和其他区域地震活动探测网络的计划。

    同一个星期内，艾姆斯研究中心主办一系列主题活动，包括自二十世纪７０年代以来以月球为课题的最大规模研讨会。

    签署探月国际合作协议，把这一系列活动推向了高潮。

    据美印媒体报道，协议内容之一，是让美国航天局与其他加盟国家的航天机构分担费用。

    美国航天局编制的预算中，包含向月球发射４艘登陆飞船。但科学家们希望能向月球发射至多８艘登陆飞船。

    各国具体如何分担费用，美印媒体未予报道。

    美国媒体称，印度、德国和韩国之类国家正处于“成熟阶段”的太空计划将在探月国际合作进程中发挥“关键作用”，但没有作更多叙述或介绍。

    美国“阿波罗”登月计划中，最后一艘飞船１９７２年登陆月球。这以后相当长一段时期内，月球在一定程度上似乎遭人“遗忘”，鲜有航天器以它为探测目标。

    即便探月活动相对沉寂，“阿波罗”登月计划当年采集的月球岩石标本依然提供了研究素材，近年来促使科学家作出惊人推断：太阳系早期并非宁静有序的星系，而更像一桌“宇宙台球”。

　　探索生命

    月球岩石标本所揭示的太阳系变迁历程，或许有助于解答一个最基本科学问题：地球生命起源于何时？

    一种可能是，太阳系变迁间接触发了地球生命。

    宇宙间，生命得以起源和生存，一般认为水是必不可少因素。

    据美国航天局行星科学部主任格林介绍，依灾变假设推断，太阳系变迁过程中行星所处位置的变化，可能使地球和月球承受小行星和由水冰组成的彗星撞击，获得了地球海洋６５％至８５％的水量。

    美国国家科学院下属全国研究委员会去年发布的一份研究报告则认定，月球表面一直没有受到板块构造变化、火山爆发或者土壤浸蚀等因素的影响，可能是太阳系内唯一可供科学家探究这一星系原始状态的天体。

    从事月球研究的科学家认为，月球上留有３８亿年前至４亿年前、即生命在地球上萌生之前小行星和彗星撞击这一地球天然卫星的记录。

    “那一轮撞击可能给地球带来了多少海洋？我们不知道，”格林接受《圣何塞信使新闻》记者采访时自问自答。“但是，我们可以重返月球，寻找答案。”

    依照他的判断，“现在发生的事情，是正在出现一场行星科学研究革命……我们正收集各种零星证据，正着手拼合成谜底的全貌，而现有发现已经让我们吃惊。”

    谈及国际探月合作的意义，这名科学家着重讲解科学意义，视科学研究为新一轮探月热潮的动因，没有触及任何国际政治考虑。印度媒体报道中也没有涉及加盟国家的取舍因素。

印度媒体之所以为加盟国际探月合作而兴奋，或许因为作为发展中国家，独有印度可在空间技术领域能与中国媲美。

    印度政府２０００年审议通过探月计划，拟议分三个阶段实施：首先向月球发射无人驾驶探测航天器，然后发射登月机器人，２０１４年发射可搭载两名宇航员的航天器，２０２０年实现印度宇航员登陆月球。

    依照印度政府２００３年９月批准的“无人月球探测计划”，原定今年上半年发射无人驾驶“月球飞船一号”，携带美国航天局两台仪器，即用于探测月球极地冰质沉积的微型合成孔径雷达和用于探测月球资源的矿物测绘仪，再加欧洲航天局三台仪器。

    据《印度教徒报》２７日报道，印度空间研究组织（ＩＳＲＯ）暂定９月１９日发射“月球飞船一号”。

    这以前，欧洲航天局“智能１号”２００３年９月２７日升空，２００６年９月３日以每秒２公里速度撞击月球。

    ２００７年９月１４日，日本“月亮女神”绕月探测卫星升空。

    同年１０月２４日，中国“嫦娥一号”绕月卫星升空；１１月５日，“嫦娥一号”进入近月点２００公里椭圆环月轨道；２６日，“嫦娥一号”发回第一幅月球表面图片。

    迄今为止，美国、俄罗斯、欧洲、日本和中国显现探月能力。

    格林认为，探月技术如今不再像二十世纪６０年代那样，仅仅是美国的专利，所以，重返月球是“合乎逻辑的下一步骤”。

    美国重启

    美国总统乔治·Ｗ·布什２００４年１月１４日宣布，美国人将重返月球，建立基地，把宇航员送上火星。

    美国航天局２００６年１２月４日公布相关计划，拟议让美国宇航员２０２０年重返月球，预计耗费４年时间建造可供宇航员在月球上连续居住１８０天的永久性基地。

    俄罗斯航天署２００７年８月宣布，拟议２０２５年以前实现俄罗斯航天员登月，２０２７年至２０３２年在月球建立永久性基地。

    作为落实探月计划的主要执行机构，美国航天局艾姆斯研究中心定于今年１０月发射“月球陨坑观测和探测卫星”（ＬＣＲＯＳＳ），明年由这颗卫星所携助推火箭撞击月球表面，帮助寻找水和其他化合物的痕迹。

    １９５８年７月２９日，是美国航天局成立之日。本月２９日，这一航天机构迎来“半百”生日，“阿波罗”探月计划堪称辉煌历史遗产。

    １９６９年７月２０日，美国宇航员尼尔·阿姆斯特朗乘“阿波罗１１号”飞船登月舱登陆月球，在月球表面留下人类第一个脚印，实现了人类登月梦想。

    艾姆斯研究中心在航天局成立５０周年庆典前一个星期举行的一系列活动中，当年参加“阿波罗”计划的航天元老们得以在研讨会上与如今从事探月活动的科学新人们聚会。

    对新一轮探月计划孕育的国际合作前景，艾姆斯研究中心月球科学研究所代理主任莫里森告诉《圣何塞信使新闻》记者：“这实实在在标志着一个新时代。”（徐勇）

pfg1group

http://tw.news.yahoo.com/article/url/d/a/080726/17/13y81.html



新華網報導，根據中國航天科技工業新體係建設規劃，中國將在現有航天北京、航天上海、航天陜西、航天四川等四大科研生產基地基礎上，新增航天天津、航天內蒙古、航天香港(深圳)、航天海南四大基地。

中國航天科技集團公司25日在北京舉行的第四次工作會議上，透露上述信息，該集團總經理馬興瑞表示，中國航天科技工業這樣的新布局更具戰略性、更具輻射帶動作用，也更符合軍民融合發展的要求、更有利地方經濟和社會發展，特別是與環渤海、珠三角、西部大開發等國家區域發展戰略的緊密結合。從未來發展看，這八大航天基地將形成重點突出、結構合理、功能完善、資源集約的航天產業基地群。

馬興瑞表示，根據已制定的《中國航天科技集團公司構建航天科技工業新體係戰略轉型指導意見》，中國航天科技集團公司今後將在導彈武器系統、宇航技術與產品、航天民用產業三大主業基礎上形成宇航系統、導彈武器系統、航天技術應用產業、航天服務業四大主業，到2015年，這四大主業達到國際先進水平。

除四大主業達到國際先進水平外，中國航天科技集團公司還明確提出2015年要實現以下多項目標：

－打造七個人民幣數百億規模的大型科研生產聯合體，形成十個左右主營業務收入過百億人民幣的公司。

－國際化業務快速增長，整星出口佔國際商業衛星市場百分之十左右，商業發射服務佔國際市場百分之十五左右，航天技術應用產業的產品出口額佔其業務收入的百分之二十左右。

－進入世界大型航天企業集團前五名。

－圓滿完成國家重大科技專項階段目標，發射空間實驗室，實現月球著陸探測，新一代運載火箭首飛，第二代衛星導航與定位係統建立，高分辨率對地觀測係統取得突破。

自1999 年成立至2007年，中國航天科技集團公司研制的「長征」係列運載火箭共成功實施50次發射任務，發射自行研制的43顆衛星，6艘飛船和1顆月球探測器，圓滿完成「神舟」五號、六號載人航天飛行和「嫦娥一號」繞月探測飛行任務，並實現中國商業衛星整星出口零的突破。

pfg1group

http://www2.orientaldaily.com.my ... Kkn02QK70xq30AH0MIv



（東京29日訊）日本嘗試開創先例，以人造衛星所拍攝的資料繪製珊瑚分布圖，協助珊瑚保育區的設定，甚至追蹤珊瑚分布區域的長期變化。

據日本《每日新聞》周二報導，傳統的珊瑚分布圖，一般是根據空照圖片或船隻現場調查等資訊繪製而成。

不過，這種方式麻煩又費時。因此，日本環境部利用日本宇宙航空研究開發機構（JAXA）的地球觀測衛星「大地」所拍攝的影像資訊，研發區分岩石、礁岩或珊瑚礁的影像處理技術，並藉此繪製珊瑚礁分布圖。

雖然利用人造衛星繪製珊瑚礁分布圖，可能會比較難區分珊瑚種類，或追蹤短期的白化現象，但只要與過去的分布圖加以比較，就能掌握廣域珊瑚礁的長期變化。

全球珊瑚礁在地球暖化及人為過度開發等因素影響下，約有半數面臨生存危機。

日本環境部已開始著手繪製，計劃今年內完成日本周邊分布圖，並于之后的1至2年內，繼續完成涵蓋亞洲、大洋洲區域的珊瑚分布圖，以助于珊瑚礁保育的工作。

kl90

Next crew to continue station growth

The next International Space Station crew will improve the plumbing and electrical systems of the massive orbiting laboratory, in preparation for the crew size to double to six next year.

Veteran U.S. astronaut Michael Fincke will command Expedition 18, a six-month increment that will see the installation of a second bathroom that recycles urine, and the installation of the fourth and final massive solar array that will be rotated by the damaged Solar Alpha Rotary Joint.

"We think of ourselves as a 'can-do' crew," Fincke said Wednesday during a media briefing in Houston.

The $16 million Russian bathroom will recycle urine into drinking water, making the space station less dependent on supply missions by the space shuttle, which will stop flying in 2010.

"We're running a water deficit," said Fincke, who has already spent 187 days in space.

Fincke will launch to the space station on Oct. 12 in a Soyuz capsule with Russian flight engineer Yuri Lonchakov and Richard Garriott, the son of U.S. astronaut Owen Garriott. The younger Garriott, a wealthy video-game creator, has paid the Russians about $35 million to spent 11 days in space.

Garriott, however, has a busy agenda of scientific, artistic and commercial activities. He said he has dreamed of finding a way to reach space since he was told as a boy that his poor eyesight would disqualify him from the astronaut program.

"Literally, throughout my entire professional career, I've been investing in the privatization of space," said Garriott, whose father will serve as his science officer and maintain contact from mission control. "This price tag is the majority of my wealth. This is the goal I've been working toward for a significant portion of my life."

U.S. flight engineer Sandra Magnus will fly to the station on a space shuttle mission scheduled in November, replacing Greg Chamitoff.

Koichi Wakata, the first long-duration Japanese astronaut, will replace Magnus on the station in early 2009.
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Phoenix finds water, beams back panorama

NASA's Mars Phoenix spacecraft confimed the existence of water ice on the northern plains of the red planet and also beamed back a full-color panorama of its landing site -- a windswept arctic plain covered with rust-colored dust. Largely devoid of rocks and boulders, the northern lowland is as flat as Kansas.

During a news conference webcast live here in The Flame Trench, Mars Phoenix project scientists said a soil sample dug up with a shovel at the end of the lander's eight-foot robot arm was deposited in an onboard oven and then cooked. A mass spectrometer on the high-temperature furnace detected water ice in a small percentage of the sample.

The Phoenix find is a physical first. NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft detected evidence of subsurface water in the arctic region as it circled in an observational orbit back in 2002. NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter provided further proof and both the Spirit and Opportunity rovers have uncovered ample evidence that Mars once was warmer, wetter and perhaps hospitable to primitive life.

The soil sample analyzed by the Phoenix Thermal and Evolved Gas Analyzer provided the first physical evidence -- and the first solid confirmation -- of water ice on Mars.

Launched last Aug. 4 from Cape Canaveral, the Phoenix spacecraft survived a harrowing dive to the surface of Mars on May 25 and then set out on a three-month mission aimed at confirming the existence of water ice in the arctic region and searching for signs of organic material. Liquid water, an energy source and organic material combine to spawn life in even the most inhospitable environments on Earth.

The $457 million Phoenix mission now is being extended until at least the end of September. The additional cost: $2 million.

pfg1group

http://tw.news.yahoo.com/article/url/d/a/080801/19/avq.html

（法新社邁阿密三十一日電） 美國國家航空暨太空總署今天表示，降落火星表面的探測器「鳳凰號」已經證實火星上有水，而且首次「嚐到」這些水的滋味。


鳳凰號於本週稍早以配備的儀器將火星土壤加熱。科學家表示，經過化學檢驗，證實火星的北極附近有水存在。


亞利桑那大學科學家鮑恩頓在太空總署發布的聲明中說：「我們找到水了。」


聲明說：「透過在軌道上運行的『火星漫遊者號』探測船的觀測，以及鳳凰號上個月觀察到幾塊物體消融的現象，我們先前已見過水冰存在的證據，但這回是第一次碰觸並嚐到火星上的水。」


這具探測器於五月二十五日降落在火星的極地，進行三個月的挖掘探測任務。太空總署今天表示，將把任務時間延長兩個月。

kl90

http://www.floridatoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?Category=NEWS02
Tropical Strorm Edouard Threatens NASA JSC

NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston shut down today and will remain closed through Tuesday due to the advance of Tropical Storm Edouard, which is spinning up over warm waters in the Gulf of Mexico and threatening to reach near-hurricane strength by the time it makes landfall along the Texas and Louisiana coasts.

NASA's storied Mission Control Center, however, will remain staffed in order to provide flight control for the International Space Station.

Some 3,000 civil service and 12,000 contractors were released from work at noon today so they could make storm preparations at their homes. Edouard is expected to make landfall early Tuesday somewhere between western Louisiana and Port O'Connor, Texas. NASA's Texas field center is located about 30 miles from Galveston Bay.

According to the Associated Press, Edouard had maximum sustained winds near 45 mph, with higher gusts, at 2 p.m. EDT. The storm's center was located about 145 miles south-southeast of Lafayette, La., and 240 miles east-southeast of Galveston.

The storm was moving west-northwest near 8 mph, and forecasters said the warm waters of the Gulf provided the right conditions for the storm to intensify and approach hurricane strength with winds of 74 mph or more, the AP reported.

NASA hopes to reopen JSC on Wednesday. Employees should check with Johnson's Employee Information Line for updated information on the status of the center. The local telephone number is 281-483-3351. If local communications are disrupted, employees can call a toll-free information line at 877-283-1947.
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Flame trench repairs finished this week

NASA contractors expect the $2.7 million repair job in the flame trench at Pad 39A to be complete by mid-week.

"They finished the Fondu Fyre application last week, which obviously is a little ahead of what we were hoping for," NASA spokesman Allard Beutel said.

A large section of fire bricks in the flame trench wall was blown off the concrete backing by rocket exhaust during the launch of Discovery on May 31. Contractors removed more than 10,000 fire bricks, attached a metal grid and applied a spray-on, fire resistant concrete called Fondu Fyre.

The job will be completed well in advance of the Oct. 8 launch of Atlantis for a mission to refurbish the Hubble Space Telescope.
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Obama Makes All The Right Moves

Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama touched down on the Space Coast over the weekend, and he proved that he is at the top of his class in political math.

A man who has raised questions about the value of sending robots rather than astronauts into space, Obama did a bit of an about-face in Titusville Saturday.

He promised local voters the moon. Quite literally.

Speaking before a crowd filled with NASA and NASA contractor workers, Obama said that he aimed to add another flight to the shuttle schedule prior to fleet retirement -- presumably a mission to haul up to the International Space Station a particle physics experiment devised by a Nobel Prize winner.

Obama said it was unacceptable to rely on Russia to launch American astronauts to an outpost U.S. taxpayers have spent almost $100 billion to build, and he promised to close the five-year gap between the last shuttle flight and maiden voyages of successor craft. He promised to speed development of the latter.

Obama said he would reestablish the National Space Council -- a high-level presidential advisory group, and he said he would protect the jobs of shuttle workers facing layoffs after shuttle fleet retirement, which is planned for September 2010. The country, he said, could not afford to lose their expertise.

With Florida's critical 27 electoral votes on the line, and the I-4 corridor looking like it will be a decider, Obama said he supported the exploration or the solar system -- both with humans and robots -- and he even uttered the words moon and Mars in the same sentence.

This from a guy who put out a white paper that said he would pay for his early education initiatives by delaying NASA's Constellation Program by five years.

This from a guy who in February told the Houston Chronicle editorial board that space exploration is an inspirational tool. but the next president needs to have "a practical sense of what investments deliver the most scientific and technological spinoffs — and not just assume that human space exploration, actually sending bodies into space, is always the best investment."

Somebody must have gotten Obama to drink the Kool Aid. He stood up at BCC and said everything that nervous space workers might want to hear, and the chance of up to 6,400 layoffs in 2011 seems to disappaer.

So sated were the 1,300 people at Brevard Community College that not a single space question was asked during the "town hall" portion of the program -- the post-stump speech Q&A that Obama directed in "boy-girl, boy-girl" fashion.

Nonetheless, Obama fielded a question on ocean exploration and turned it into an opportunity to dispel a huge negative. Obama said he knew there were reports that said he would pay for his early education initiatives by delaying by five years the Constellation program, and he said he has instructed his staff to "find another offset."

Republican John McCain, meanwhile, has indicated that he would continue to support President Bush's "Vision For Space Exploration," which directs NASA to complete the International Space Station and retire the shuttle fleet by September 2010 and then return American astronauts to the moon by 2020.

In Orlando earlier this year, he indicated he would add shuttle flights after 2010, but he has not yet elaborated on specifics. A one-paragraph position paper was recently posted on his campaign web site. You can see it HERE.

The crude political math is that Florida's 27 electoral votes are critical. Presumptive Rebublican nominee John McCain simply cannot win the White House without Florida, and as it is becoming increasingly clear that the state could put Obama over the top.

Meanwhile, the vote that swings the whole deal very well could be in the vote in the I-4 corridor, the eastern anchor of which is NASA's Kennedy Space Center.

Obama said all the right things. He made all the right moves. And that's just what people on the Space Coast wanted him to do: Promise them the moon.

kl90

http://www.floridatoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?Category=NEWS02
National Space Club Taps 3 For Awards

Three aerospace veterans who led illustrious careers will be honored next week with the 2008 Lifetime Achievement Awards from the National Space Club Florida Committee.

The highly coveted awards – which are bestowed on Floridians who have made important contributions to the U.S. space program – this year will go to William “Bill” Heink, Albert “Al” Koller and Harold Zweigbaum.

"Bill, Al and Harold each have made significant contributions to the space community through their impressive careers,” Roy Tharpe, chairman of the local branch of the National Space Club, said in a news release.

The trio will be honored at an 11:30 a.m. luncheon next Tuesday at the Oceanfront Doubletree Hotel in Cocoa Beach. For reservations, contact LaDonna Neterer at 321-383-6135 or e-mail LaDonna.J.Neterer@boeing.com.

The space club’s Lifetime Achievement Awards are a huge deal in the local aerospace community, where thousands have played roles in the Mercury, Gemini, Apollo and Skylab projects as well as the shuttle and International Space Station programs.

Those honored must be long-time contributors to the nation’s space program either at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center or Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, which is operated by the Air Force 45th Space Wing.

The award-winners must have played key roles as civil servants or contractors in operations associated with launch vehicles, spacecraft, ground systems, the Eastern Range or related activities.

Heink retired in 2000 as site director for Boeing Reusable Space Systems, Florida Operations. In that post, he was responsible for shuttle launch services as well as launch processing of Air Force Navstar Global Positioning System spacecraft. Heink began his long career with Convair in 1962 and worked on the Apollo and Skylab programs as well as the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project.

Koller began his career right after graduating from Titusville High School in 1959, working as a technician for the Army Ballistic Missile Agency and its Missile Firing Lab at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.

The organization was run by aerospace legend Wernher Von Braun and was transferred to NASA in 1960. Koller continued working for the successor organization – NASA’s Launch Vehicle Operations directorate – through the Mercury, Apollo and Skylab programs as well as the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project.

Koller led the team that prepared the Environmental Impact Statement for space shuttle operations at KSC and expendable launch vehicle operations at Cape Canaveral, and he also managed NASA’s biomedical and environmental health programs at KSC.

He retired from NASA in 1992, then went to work at Brevard Community College, where founded SpaceTec and established the first national certification program for aerospace technicians. The certification is accepted now by NASA, the Federal Aviation Administration, the Air Force, the Navy, the Veterans Administration and the American Council on Education.

Zweigbaum designed and operated the world’s first commercial satellite launch processing center – Astrotech Space Operations in Titusville, now a subsidiary of Spacehab.

Dozens of NASA space science and planetary probes were prepped for launch at the company’s processing center, which also has played host to scores of commercial communications satellites.

Zweigbaum began his 42-year career with the Army Signal Corps in 1951 and joined NASA in 1962. There he was chief of Atlas-Agena launch operations and he also worked on the shuttle program before he left the agency in 1983.
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Space Florida Lands Launch Complex 36

A historic launch complex at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station is being licensed to the state of Florida as part of a plan to develop a commercial launch zone within the military rocket range that has served NASA and the Pentagon since the dawn of the Space Age.

Subject to the completion of an environmental impact analysis, Launch Complex 36 will be rebuilt as an embarkation point for multiple small to medium-sized rockets capable of carrying commercial satellites and science payloads into low Earth orbit and beyond.

A $14.5 million appropriation from the state Legislature earlier this year will enable the state to forge ahead with the design of the complex as well as site preparation. The complex would be the heart of a commercial trade zone that would provide companies with tariff and tax relief, advantages that should make the state more competitive in a crowded global commercial launch services market.

"This is a landmark deal," said Deb Spicer, vice president of government and external affairs for Space Florida, which was created to attract new aerospace business to the state.

"Florida has a great legacy in aerospace, a great foundation to build on, and that is one more reason we are so committed to expanding our capability to launch from Florida and the United States," Lt. Gov Jeff Kottkamp said in a statement.

Space Florida president Steve Kohler said the complex is "an important next step to extending access to space, making it available to defense and security initiatives and multiple commercial payload and launch activities for both civil and private space businesses that wish to launch from Florida."

The state secured a five-year license similar to the deal struck between the Air Force and Space X for the use of Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral. The license can be extended at the end of the period.

The Air Force said Space Florida will be responsible for "developing, managing and paying for operations and maintenance of the facility, being the broker for the facility, complying with all required real property, environmental, safety, security, and all other tenant requirements, and reimbursing the Air Force for the services Space Florida uses."

"Our primary mission here is to assure access to the high frontier," Brig. Gen. Susan Helms, commander of the Air Force 45th Space Wing, said in a statement. "This proposal better enables us to execute that mission.

Launch Complex 36 was built by NASA in 1961 and had two pads from which Atlas rockets set sail on missions to the moon, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn and other destinations. The complex was shut down in 2005 and the two towers at the site were demolished last year.
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Despite lost rocket, SpaceX to stay at Cape

The loss of a third SpaceX Falcon 1 rocket this weekend won’t slow the company’s progress to launch a massive rocket at the Cape next year, vowed CEO and Internet tycoon Elon Musk.

The single-engine rocket was lost due to a timing error. The second stage separated while the first stage was still thrusting.

“Due to the residual thrust, the first stage propelled itself back toward the second stage,” said Musk. “The plasma blowback destroyed the second stage.”

The problem can be easily fixed by delaying separation a few seconds, and the fourth Falcon 1 could launch next month, said Musk. However, a Malaysian satellite, scheduled for flight four, will move back to the fifth flight.

Additionally, SpaceX recently met a critical development milestone with its larger Falcon 9 rocket, which is being built with NASA funding assistance and could carry cargo and passengers to the International Space Station from Cape Canaveral.

“I think we are very close to getting to orbit,” said Musk, who developed and sold PayPal and reportedly has invested $100 million of his own money in the company that employs about 525 – including nearly 20 at the Cape.

With a positive cash flow, the company has booked 13 launch customers, including three NASA launches. Musk said the Falcon 1’s engine performed flawlessly, despite the separation problem, and he is more determined than ever to succeed.

“It would be crazy to abandon it,” he said.

Despite the failure, NASA is comfortable that SpaceX is meeting milestones in development of its larger Falcon 9 rocket, which is powered by nine Merlin 1C engines of the type that performed well during the weekend launch attempt. If it meets milestones, SpaceX will receive up to $278 million from NASA to help develop the Falcon 9 in the Commercial Orbital Transportation Services program, which is designed to help private enterprise create a viable rocket.

“They are up-to-date,” NASA spokesman Stephanie Schierholz said.

Last Friday, Space X successfully tested the nine-engine configuration of the Falcon 9, some two months ahead of schedule. And the company seems well-prepared for a Critical Design Review in December, which would be the 13th of 22 milestones, Schierholz said.

“There’s no reason to believe they won’t make that,” he added. “Now they are more than halfway through their milestones.”

Musk said he expects the first Falcon 9 to arrive at Cape Canaveral before year’s end, with the test launch to come next year. The company is building propellant tanks, laying data connection cables and erecting a hangar at Pad 40.

[ 本帖最后由 kl90 于 11-8-2008 12:49 PM 编辑 ]

kl90

http://www.floridatoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?Category=NEWS02
Ashes of American Heroes lost

The ashes of two American space icons were scattered over the Pacific instead of in orbit during the loss of a third SpaceX Falcon 1 rocket this weekend. The orbit-bound, cremated remains of Mercury astronaut Gordon Cooper and actor James Doohan, who portrayed "Scotty" on Star Trek - as well as the ashes of 206 others - returned to Earth when the first and second stages failed to separate.

“The ashes rode with the rocket for over two minutes and then scattered over the ocean,” SpaceX spokesman Diane Murphy said.

The lost rocket also carried two, small NASA satellites and a Department or Defense payload the government had paid $4 million to fly. No payload will be retrieved.

“Both stages are sleeping with the fishes,” said Elon Musk, SpaceX CEO. “It’s most definitely lost.”
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ET-129 headed toward KSC

External Tank-129 left Louisiana Wednesday evening for a 900-mile trip to Kennedy Space Center.

The tank will be attached to Endeavour, which will stand  ready during the early October launch of Atlantis in case a rescue is necessary. Atlantis is headed to the Hubble Space Telescope to make repairs, and Hubble is too far from the International Space Station to seek safe harbor there in an emergency.

Lockheed Martin delivered the tank for Atlantis, ET-127, less than a month ago. Both tanks incorporate new designs, intended to minimize the loss of foam.

Towed by solid rocket booster retrieval ship Liberty Star, the tank is scheduled to arrive on Monday.

The tank is 154 feet tall and 28 feet in diameter, built by Lockheed Martin at the NASA Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans.

[ 本帖最后由 kl90 于 11-8-2008 12:49 PM 编辑 ]

kl90

http://www.floridatoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?category=NEWS02
Shuttle Launch Dates Stay Put

The upcoming launches of shuttle Atlantis and Endeavour will remain on their assigned dates to give engineers and technicians enough time to prepare the payload for the Hubble Space Telescope servicing mission, officials said today.

Atlantis and a crew of seven astronauts remain scheduled to blast off at 1:34 a.m. EDT Oct. 8. Endeavour and seven astronauts are slated to set sail at 9:32 p.m. EDT Nov. 10 on an International Space Station outfitting mission.

NASA had hoped to move both launches up by three days -- to Oct. 5 and Nov. 7 -- to increase the chances the second mission will get off the ground before a Nov. 24 deadline. The sun angle on the station after that will be such that the outpost will not be able to generate enough power, or dispel enough heat, to support a docked shuttle mission. The so-called "beta angle cutout" and the Christmas and New Year's holiday will prompt NASA to delay the Endeavour mission to early 2009 if it's not off the ground by Nov. 24.

Senior shuttle program managers met today and decided that a three-day advance in the October launch date would not provide enough time to prepare two new Hubble science instruments and other spacecraft gear for flight. The result was a decision to keep the already assigned launch dates in place.

NASA is under a presidential deadline to complete the station retire the shuttle fleet by Sept. 30, 2010. Ten more missions are scheduled to be flown between now and then.
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Space experts talk jobs

The Space Coast's launch industry can diversify to keep employment high when the shuttle stops flying in 2010, but the task will be slow and arduous.

"We're not going to wave a wand and get 6,500 jobs," said U.S. Rep. Tom Feeney. "We can do it bit by bit."

Feeney, who represents the 24th Congressional district, appeared at an interactive town hall meeting in Titusville Wednesday. Some questions were submitted by e-mail during the broadcast forum.

NASA's most recent analysis estimates 3,000 to 4,000 jobs will be lost at Kennedy Space Center after the 2010 retirement of the space shuttle fleet. The panelists agreed those losses cannot be reversed but that other high paying jobs could be attracted.

In opening remarks, Kennedy Space Center Director Bill Parsons said KSC must focus on the remaining ten shuttle missions.

"Without flying those missions safely, there may not be the next program," Parsons said.

Parsons and Feeney were joined by Space Florida President Steve Kohler, Economic Development Commission consultant Frank Dibello and Marshall Heard, chairman of the Florida Aviation Aerospace Alliance.

Concern focused on the five-year gap in U.S. manned space flight, between the shuttle's retirement and the development of the Constellation program, which has been underfunded.

The Constellation program, which suffered a year's delay this week, will launch a test rocket next year. Many people at KSC already are working on Constellation, the next generation of U.S. rockets.

"I don't want us to concentrate on retiring the shuttle because we're really transitioning to the next vehicle," said Parsons.

During the five-year "gap" between shuttle and Constellation, the U.S. will depend on the Russian Soyuz capsule for transport to the $100 billion International Space Station. The Soyuz, however, has developed a technical glitch that could slow its flights. Plus, the Russian attack on the nation of Georgia could hamper agreements that allow NASA to contract with Russia for transport to the station.

"It was a horrible plan to be dependent on the Russians," said Feeney.

He touted a new willingness in Congress to allocate more money for NASA, which has been opposed by the Bush administration.

Responding to a questioner who asked why it was important to spend billions on the space industry, Dibello said that worldwide some $250 billion was invested in the space industry last year.

"That money created a lot of jobs that went back into the economy," said Dibello. "There's a high degree of leverage for the money we spend in space."

Feeney said the importance of the space industry goes beyond economics and technology development.

"We have to argue that this is a matter of national security," said Feeney. "The Chinese now are on a schedule to beat us back to the moon."
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Astronaut to end ride at Cape

According to a story posted by the Associated Press, Oklahoma native and former NASA astronaut John Herrington is planning a coast-to-coast bicycle ride.

Herrington was to begin the ride today in the state of Washington. He plans to arrive in Cape Canaveral in about three months.

The ride is to promote student interest in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

Herrington was born in Wetumka, Ok., and graduated from the Navy’s Aviation Officer Candidate school in 1984 and was selected for the astronaut program by NASA in 1996.

He’s a member of the Ada-based Chickasaw Nation and became the first American Indian in space when he was part of the crew of the shuttle Endeavour in 2002.

pfg1group

http://www.zaobao.com/gj/gj080819_513.shtml


（德黑兰法新电）伊朗宣布成功发射自己研发的火箭，将一颗“假人造卫星”送入环绕地球的轨道。此消息传开后，华盛顿就担心，德黑兰将把这项技术运用在弹道导弹上。伊朗因展开核研发活动，而同西方国家关系紧张，预料这绷紧的关系会进一步升级。

　　伊朗国营电视台前天播映了首个国产火箭升空的画面，并利用图解显示卫星同火箭分离的过程。伊朗总统艾哈迈迪内贾德出席了这个在黎明前举行的发射仪式。

　　伊朗太空局局长塔吉普尔说：“大使号（Safir）火箭成功发射，所有系统都是伊朗制造的。”他也透露，一个名为“希望”（Omid）的“试验卫星已纳入轨道”。

　　伊朗电视台的报道指出：“我们为未来在太空部署卫星铺平道路。”

　　原已对伊朗核活动表示关注的西方国家警告，伊朗的太空计划可能被转移至军事用途。美国白宫发言人约翰德罗说：“伊朗发展和测试火箭的做法令人困扰，进一步引发了有关其意图的疑问……这一行动和可能用在其弹道导弹计划的双重用途，同他们在联合国安全理事会所作的承诺不一致。”

　　不过，伊朗一名要求匿名的高官告诉法新社，国营媒体有关首个由“伊朗专家制造”的火箭成功发射卫星的报道是不正确的。

　　同一天，伊朗空军司令米加尼说，伊朗已大大提升其战斗机的续航力，使得它们可以飞行3000公里而不用加油。这意味着，伊朗如今可来回突袭死对头以色列。

　　米加尼并没有提到以色列，不过，距离伊朗边界大约1000公里的以色列，一向视伊朗为最大威胁。　

pfg1group

http://news.xinhuanet.com/tech/2008-08/10/content_9118265.htm

争做世界航天大国是印度长期以来的强国梦想，也是印度“有声有色大国梦”的重要组成部分。为此，印度探月计划早就启动了，还一再强调要“赶在中国前面”
。印度空间研究组织主席迈哈万-奈尔8月6日豪迈地宣布，作为登月计划的第一步，印度首个探月卫星“月球飞船1号”组装阶段已基本完成，预计最早将于10月发射。他还称，10月份是最佳季节，届时印度将选择最佳时间进行发射。

    迈哈万-奈尔说，“月球飞船1号” 卫星重500多公斤，发射后将在距离月球表面100公里处的轨道绕月飞行两年，其最终目标是绘制一张三维月球图。这次探月计划耗资大约1亿美元。

    印度雄心勃勃的探月计划还有不少，最近不仅与俄罗斯签订了“月球飞船2号”的合作研发协议，还与美国宇航局签了协议，美国将帮助印度实现其无人探月计划，将允许印度宇航员搭载美国航天飞机上太空。印度称，还在考虑研发自己的太空舱，准备在2020年之前实现载人登月的目标。

    印度媒体普遍认为，“月球飞船1号”探月卫星的发射将具有重要意义，将进一步提升印度的国家实力。印度还认为，价值900亿美元的世界航天发射市场到目前为止一直被美国和俄罗斯所主导，印度也希望从中分得一杯羹。印度空间研究组织发言人表示，印度在国际航天发射领域具有较强的竞争力。首先是印度的发射技术较为成熟可靠，还掌握了“一箭多星”发射技术，前不久一次性把10颗小型卫星全部送入轨道，这个成就仅次于俄罗斯。其次是发射价格便宜。印度的卫星发射服务费是每公斤大约8000美元，相比之下，其他国家的商业卫星发射价格是每公斤1.8万美元甚至更高。

    但由于探月所耗资金巨大、所需技术复杂，印度国内也有不少反对声音。尼赫鲁中心航天科学家纳拉希马说，对于印度的航天机构来说，这些都是合理的下一步计划，但对于印度来说则是巨大的跳跃。印度航天专家帕塔萨蒂说：“我们不应该浪费资金，除非是有关国家重大利益的科学项目。如果仅仅为了证明我们是第五个或者第六个向月球轨道发射卫星的国家，这个论据实在太不充分了。”还有印度政治人士批评称，尽管印度11亿人口中，几亿人每天的生活费不足两美元，但印度官方仍然迫切希望实现“航天大国”的梦想。(本报驻印度特派记者 王 磊)

pfg1group

http://www.sinchew.com.my/node/78801?tid=2



（美國‧華盛頓）美國國防部官員透露，伊朗早前試射人造衛星失敗。

這名不具名官員說，攜帶人造衛星的火箭，發射升空後不久已經失敗，未能夠抵達預定軌道。

伊朗國營電視台週日（17日）播出片段，聲稱成功發射首枚自行研製的人造衛星。

雖然美國指試射失敗，但有分析認為，這已經標誌著伊朗在測試發射火箭技術取得進展，透過獲取的數據，完善發射系統，有關技術更加可以用作發展火箭攜帶核武。

美國等西方國家一直都擔心，伊朗致力發展核武，但伊朗否認，堅持核計劃只是用作發電。

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Sources: Iran tried but failed to launch satellite
Tehran insists it was merely a test; blow-up may have political effects

Analysis
By James Oberg
NBC News space analyst
Special to MSNBC
updated 4:54 p.m. ET Aug. 19, 2008

       
James Oberg
NBC News space analyst
Last weekend's launch of an Iranian rocket sparked days of debate over what its intended mission was — and although officials in Tehran are characterizing it as merely a test of the launch vehicle, U.S. military intelligence officials now see it as a failed attempt to put a satellite in orbit.

A defense official confirmed to NBC News on Tuesday that the Iranian attempt was being viewed as a failure, and that Iran's claims about the missile test were seen as a cover story to conceal this.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to speak publicly about the assessment, but his views echo other reports emerging from Western intelligence sources.

According to the Pentagon source, the Safir ("Messenger") rocket was launched just before 3 p.m. ET on Saturday from a base near Semnan in northern Iran, carrying what he called a "crude communications satellite" with only "limited capability."

Soon after reaching an altitude above 500,000 feet, the missile failed and broke apart, the source said. The missile broke up when the second stage was firing, and the resulting debris was scattered across Iran and the Gulf of Oman, he said. The rocket was apparently aiming for an orbit about 400 miles (650 kilometers) high, inclined to the equator about 62 degrees.

The source explained that a U.S. Navy destroyer, the USS Russell, monitored the launch from the Persian Gulf. The North American Aerospace Defense Command, or NORAD, reportedly confirmed that the attempt was unsuccessful, but the U.S. Strategic Command has declined repeated requests to release a public assessment.

Iranian news agencies waited 18 hours to announce the launch on Sunday afternoon — an early indication that the mission did not proceed according to plan. The first reports, apparently written before liftoff with the assumption of success, described the launch of a satellite into orbit. Several hours later, corrected versions appeared, claiming that the launch was a missile test that would pave the way for launching a real satellite “soon.”

Other features of the launch raised suspicions, including the odd fact that it occurred at night. This runs counter to the long-established practice of launching test missions in full daylight so that cameras and visual observers can notice any anomalies during the early ascent into space.

Copying the North Koreans
The two-stage Safir launch vehicle is similar to the Shahab 3 missile with an upper stage added. The first stage, when used as a military missile, has a range of about 1,200 miles (1,900 kilometers). With a second stage, it can place small payloads — 100 to 200 pounds (50 to 100 kilograms) — in low Earth orbit.

The Shahab is believed to be closely based on the North Korean Taepodong 1 missile. A Japanese weapons expert told Asahi TV in Tokyo on Monday that in return for North Korean missile technology, Iran provides North Korea with uranium-enrichment technology.

Iranian officials deny any such reliance on foreign technology. They have used missile launches as opportunities to hail their own expertise. Thus, they can be expected to reject outside claims that their new source of nationalistic pride was actually a failure.

Under these circumstances, they may be tempted to borrow another North Korean space trick. In 1998, that country claimed to have launched a small satellite into orbit. Nobody outside the country saw it, detected it on radar, or heard its radio beacon. Nevertheless, North Koreans were lined up in public squares at dusk for months afterward, told the satellite was passing overhead, and obediently oohed and aahed in admiration.

The religious angle
If any Iranian leader has his fate tied to the satellite program, it’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. During a visit to Turkey last month, he predicted the satellite launch would occur this month.

Ahmadinejad was present at this launch on Saturday, and offered a prayer before liftoff: "In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate. O God! We beseech you to hasten the lofty advent of your heir [the hidden Shiite imam].  O God! Present him with good health and your assistance; and grant us the honor of being his best companions and to testify before him."

After the launch, the initial (and later corrected) Iranian press reports echoed this theme: "The satellite was sent into orbit today on the occasion of the birthday anniversary of Shiites' 12th Imam (May God Hasten His Reappearance), thus illustrating the auspicious name of the Imam in the space."

The references to a hidden religious leader relate to Ahmadinejad's claims that a messianic Muslim ruler known as the Imam Mahdi, foretold by Shiite texts, would soon make himself known. Some have even speculated that the name of the rocket and satellite, Safir-e Omid, or “Messenger of Hope,” refers to Ahmadinejad’s world view.

Other influential figures in Iran, including supreme religious leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, have been critical of efforts to exploit the prophecies about the Imam Mahdi. Former President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, one of Ahmadinejad's political rivals, has been quoted as saying the obsession over the Imam Mahdi "misled millions of people."

If it turns out that the launch was timed specifically to occur on the Imam Mahdi's birthday, the rocket team may have had to take shortcuts in their preparations. Any perceived cause-and-effect between the rushed launch and the subsequent failure could play into the hands of Iranian officials opposed to Ahmadinezhad’s governing style.

Perhaps the best way out of this fate is for the Iranians to press on and launch another rocket, carrying another satellite, and hope it reaches orbit successfully. If this occurs in a few weeks, the first embarrassment may be overlooked. If it takes significantly longer to make the next attempt, last weekend's failure may have bigger internal consequences.

NBC News space analyst James Oberg spent 22 years at NASA's Johnson Space Center as a Mission Control operator and an orbital designer, and is the author of "Space Power Theory," a book on military space policy commissioned by the U.S. Space Command.
© 2008 MSNBC Interactive

kl90

http://www.floridatoday.com/content/blogs/space/
McCain pushes to extend shuttles' lives

Republican presidential candidate John McCain is asking President Bush to leave open the option of flying the shuttle past 2010.

In a letter dated Monday, McCain and two colleagues raised concerns about an impending five-year period when the United States will have to pay Russia to taxi American astronauts to and from the $100 billion International Space Station.

They urged Bush to "direct NASA to take no action for at least one year that would preclude the extended use of the space shuttle beyond 2010."

"We believe that it is imperative, as NASA continues the transition from the space shuttle to successor vehicles, that the means for producing additional flight hardware and obtaining additional flight engineering and support services, not be completely and irretrievably lost through the destruction or deterioration, at least until a clear path to alternative launch capabilities is in hand," the letter says.

It was signed by U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas, and U.S. Sen. David Vitter, R-La. Both serve states that have large NASA facilities: Johnson Space Center in Houston and the Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans.

The letter was delivered to the White House one week after community and business leaders on Florida's Space Coast met privately with McCain to brief him on challenges faced by NASA and the nation's space program.

The leaders from the Kennedy Space Center area told McCain the nation should speed the development of shuttle successor spacecraft and extend the shuttle program until the new rockets and spacecraft can be fielded.

McCain said it was unacceptable to rely on Russia, especially given the recent invasion of Georgia and the resulting strain on U.S.-Russian relations. He and his colleagues reiterated that in the letter to Bush.

Democratic candidate Barack Obama also decried the reliance on Russia during a Space Coast campaign stop earlier this month. The weekend before McCain's visit, he released an expanded space policy that called for the nation to add at least one shuttle mission to 10 now planned and accelerate the development of successor spacecraft.

The future of the U.S. space program was charted by Bush in the wake of the 2003 Columbia accident.

The following year, he directed NASA to complete the International Space Station and retire the shuttle fleet by Sept. 30, 2010. He also directed NASA to develop successor spacecraft, and return U.S. astronauts to the moon by 2020.

The policy effectively created a long gap in the nation's ability to launch its own astronauts to the International Space Station, and consequently, some 3,000 to 4,000 jobs are expected to be lost at KSC. Hundreds more stand to be lost in Texas and Louisiana.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Watch Tuesday morning shuttle rollout here

Kennedy Space Center crews are preparing the space shuttle Atlantis for its move to the launch pad on Tuesday.

The goal is to start the hours-long crawl to the launch at 12:01 a.m., at the close of the long holiday weekend.

You can see the rollout happen here live. We'll monitor the activity at the Kennedy Space Center this weekend and, on Tuesday morning, you'll be able to see the shuttle during part of its journey to the pad on the live web cams here in the blog.
The cameras above should show at least part of the shuttle's move. We'll post others as appropriate. You can click on the images to open a separate window with the images larger. They are the latest live screen captures from KSC.

If the rollout is delayed from Tuesday because of tropical storm activity or other reasons, we'll post updates here. We'll also update progress here throughout the weekend if there are developments.

kl90

Atlantis Arrives At Launch Pad

Shuttle Atlantis has been safely installed at launch pad 39A at Kennedy Space Center, after rolling out from the Vehicle Assembly Building this morning.

It was believed to be the first time a shuttle has been moved into launch position while the space center was still in a hurricane alert mode.

After being delayed by tropical storms Fay and Hanna, shuttle managers are now keeping a close eye on the powerful Hurricane Ike, which forecasts show has the potential to threaten Florida in about a week.

Amid that uncertainty, Atlantis began its 3.5-mile journey at 9:19 a.m., about 40 minutes ahead of schedule.

About a dozen workers operated the crawler transporter carrying Atlantis, some walking alongside its eight massive tread belts to look out for debris in the crawlerway's two 40-foot wide lanes.

The back of the transporter carried a sign that read, "We're behind you, Atlantis!"

The shuttle reached the launch pad around 2 p.m. The mobile launch platform - attached by four giant bolts to each of the shuttle's twin solid rocket boosters - was lowered on to the pad's six pedestals by around 4 p.m.

Angie Brewer, flow director for Atlantis, said the rollout timing leaves four contingency days in the launch schedule before the expected Sept. 19 installation of the shuttle's cargo. There is no room for delays after that.

The cargo includes two new science instruments, six gyroscopes and six batteries that will extend the telescope's life until at least 2013.

Roughly two years ago, this mission was expected to be the last before Atlantis became the first shuttle retired, in advance of a 2010 presidential deadline to ground the three-orbiter fleet.

But Atlantis now has two more missions scheduled, both to the International Space Station.

Atlantis would return to the 52-story assembly building - "back to the barn," as Brewer said - if hurricane force winds were forecast to reach Cape Canaveral within 40 hours.

"We're confident we can get out there, and if we need to we can get back in time," said Brewer.

Following Atlantis, Endeavour is scheduled to roll out to launch pad 39B, the northernmost of the two shuttle launch sites, in just two weeks. Endeavour will fly on a rescue mission if Atlantis suffers damage that endangers its seven-member crew.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NASA: U.S. might have to abandon station

The United States will have to evacuate American astronauts from the International Space Station in 2012 if the Congress fails to swiftly renew a legislative exemption that enables the purchase of Russian Soyuz spacecraft, NASA Administrator Michael Griffin said today.

"If we don't get a renewed exemption, then the last U.S. or international partner astronauts -- by which I mean Canadian, European, Japanese -- have to be down off the station by the end of December 2011," Griffin said in a telephone interview.

NASA in 2005 was granted an exemption from the Iran Non-Proliferation Act of 2000 that enables the agency to buy crew transportation services aboard Soyuz spacecraft from the Russian Federal Space Agency.

The law was passed to prevent Russia from supplying Iran with nuclear technology, but the exemption allows NASA to buy crew transport services on Soyuz through the end of 2011.

Soyuz spacecraft take about three years to build. Griffin said NASA consequently needs to obtain an exemption within the next couple of months to avoid a situation in which the $100 billion station is circling Earth with only Russians aboard it in 2012.

"So either we get a contract (for Soyuz services) in place by early 2009 or the circumstance I just spoke of will come to pass," Griffin said.

Griffin said the recent Russian invasion of Georgia is making it more difficult to push through legilation for any exemption.

"Given the Russian invasion of Georgia and the comments that have been made by a number of senators and congressmen on the manner, I can't honestly say that I'm optimistic," he said. "But I will say that we're working it as hard as we can and doing our best to point out the consequences of not obtaining that exemption."

The situation prompted Griffin late last week to ask shuttle program managers to look into what it would take to keep the shuttle fleet flying beyond its current 2010 retirement date.

"Honestly, it was not more than a few minutes after I first heard the news about the Russian invasion of Georgia that I came to the conclusion that the ability to get a waiver could easily be in question," he said.

"It seemed fairly obvious to me that it could be difficult to get a waiver. And it seemed fairly obvious to me that a new administration and a new Congress might not want to put us in a position where the United States was unable to fly our astronauts to the station after having spent $100 billion building it," he said.

"And it might be that a new administration and a new Congress might not want to abrogate our agreements with our international partners. Well if they don't want to renew (the exemption) and if they don't want to abbrogate our agreements and if they don't want to have no U.S. crew on the station, then the only answer is they would have to continue flying the shuttle, and NASA might be directed to do that," he said.

"And I want to know what it would take to do that if we were told to do it."

The ball park figure: In excess of $3 billion per year, Griffin said.

kl90

据新华社酒泉９月６日电　（记者孙彦新）中国载人航天工程新闻发言人６日宣布，神舟七号载人航天飞行任务总指挥部６日召开第一次会议决定，神舟七号载人航天飞行将于９月２５日至３０日择机实施。神舟七号飞船于９月７日开始加注推进剂。

　　神舟七号飞船加注推进剂后，将与火箭对接并垂直转运至发射工位，进行最终状态检查和确认。在任务总指挥部决定加注火箭推进剂后，择机实施飞船发射。

http://scitech.people.com.cn/GB/7858407.html

pfg1group

http://www.mingpaonews.com/20080911/gaa1.htm

神七國產太空衣 每套1.6億
月底升空 太空漫步         2008年9月11日
廣 告

【明報專訊】「神舟七號」太空船將於本月25日至30日期間發射，舉國期待「神七」上的中國太空人歷史性地在太空漫步。據悉，供首次太空漫步的太空衣，每套價值高達1.6億元人民幣，具有高強度、耐高溫、抗撞擊、防輻射的功能，還內置了一套自主動力系統，無論是價格及能力均「相當於一顆小型衛星」。

04年起預研 名為「飛天號」

因為「神五」和「神六」不用太空漫步，太空人所穿的是「艙內太空衣」，而「神七」太空人要在太空漫步，在研製上需要實現更多技術突破的「艙外太空衣」。專門製作新型航空特紡材料的四川成都海蓉公司，從2004年就開始了太空衣的預研工作，在這次「神七」任務中，該公司也為太空衣提供紡織材料。

據內地傳媒報道，用於太空漫步的「艙外太空衣」由中國自主研製，名為「飛天號」。「飛天號」的面料採用高級混合纖維製成，具有高強度、耐高溫、抗撞擊、防輻射等性能，可使太空人在艙外活動時，如受到太空微小流星體撞擊時免受傷害。太空人即使面向太陽的攝氏200多度高溫，抑或是零度以下的低溫，都不受影響；太空衣裏有風扇或水冷式布料去除過多的熱量。新太空衣面料「柔和」，穿著還非常舒服。

設保險繩人船不分 供氧氣溫度

為保證太空人安全，「飛天號」採取帶有保險繩的設計方式。這種設計，既可使在艙外活動的太空人與太空船和地面保持通訊聯繫，也可為太空人提供氧氣和食物，同時「排放廢物」。人船之間通過電臍帶提供通訊或者能源，電臍帶裏面有很細的鋼纜，保證人船不會分離。艙外太空衣還附有特製能抵禦低溫的蓄電池，能供給氧氣，提供足夠溫度。太空衣的背上有一個生態包，許多設備都可塞在裏面。

重量極大 「無重狀態」才能穿上

這套衣服重量極大，在地球上普通人根本無法拿動，只有在太空的「無重狀態」下才能「輕鬆」地穿在身上。

從1999年11月至今，中國已發射了從神舟一號到神舟六號6艘系列太空船，其中神五、神六實際載人。2003年10月15日，神五升空，是中國首次載人飛行，太空人楊利偉圍繞地球14圈。2005年10月12日，神六載覑太空人費俊龍和聶海勝首次進行多人多天的太空飛行。

根據美國太空總署的太空人表示，美國太空衣的價錢一般為1000萬美元左右(約7800萬港元)。

pfg1group

http://www.mingpaonews.com/20080911/gaa2.htm

翟志剛成「漫步」大熱          2008年9月11日
廣 告

【明報專訊】將隨「神七」升空的候選太空人中，曾先後兩度與「飛天」失之交臂的翟志剛(圖)成為熱門人選，外界更指他是太空漫步的大熱門。

中國載人航天辦公室此前稱，隨「神七」升空的將有3名太空人，另有3名後備。

航天界人士分析，隨「神六」升空的費俊龍、聶海勝，以及劉伯明、景海鵬、翟志剛和吳傑等，都具備足夠實力完成任務。而中國首名升空太空人楊利偉也表示，一直都在訓練，隨時接受挑選。

據外界估計，翟志剛會是熱門人選。候選太空人吳傑表示，翟志剛反應快，處置特殊情?的判斷和決策非常準確。翟志剛稱，若再次與「神七」擦身而過，「神八」還會繼續努力。

今年42歲的翟志剛是黑龍江龍江縣人，1985年6月參軍，曾駕駛過殲七、殲八等戰機，現為解放軍航天員大隊三級航天員，上校軍銜。他在98年1月獲挑選成為首批太空人，曾是03年10月15日中國首次載人太空船「神五」的候選太空人，也是05年6月「神六」的候選太空人。

pfg1group

http://www.mingpaonews.com/20080911/gaa3.htm

每秒走8公里 太空漫步六挑戰          2008年9月11日
廣 告

【明報專訊】「神七」太空人將會作出中國歷來首次太空漫步，其速度必須和太空船保持一致，相對於地球來說，要每秒走8公里(太空船運行速度)，這是很快的速度，難度頗大。專家指出，太空漫步有六大挑戰。

太空人在太空漫步時，要面對太空輻射、溫度驟變、太空噪音、強烈震盪、超重或失重、化學污染等威脅(見表)。但太空專家指出，經過嚴格的訓練，這些問題應可盡量避開或應付。

「神七」進入軌道後，其中一個太空人會留在返回艙，另兩個太空人進入氣閘艙，其中一人穿中國製太空衣，一人穿從俄羅斯購入的太空衣。然後，氣閘艙開始減壓，氣閘艙漸變成真空，當艙內外壓力一致後，穿中國太空衣的太空人才能出艙行走。

在氣閘艙周邊專門有一個護欄扶手，出艙太空人可抓住扶手到達想到的預定區域。另一個已進行減壓，但仍留在艙內的太空人，可以在萬一發生意外時幫忙。

回程時，太空人回「氣閘艙」，動作必須是頭上腳下，否則太空人在加壓時會有危險。然後，外氣閘門會關上，充氣加壓，再開內氣閘門，然後太空人回艙。之後，再關內氣閘門，彈棄「氣閘艙」，離軌降落。

如果條件許可，這次太空漫步時，太空人會釋放一個只有足球般大小的小衛星，內置立體攝影機，將「神七」和太空漫步的影像即時送返地球。這次，太空漫步將可為中國設立永久太空站鋪路。