Dateline October 11, 2006: Space News from the Internet

• Alan Boyle discusses NASA's lunar lander competition
• Northrop Grumman is helping NASA to sponsor the Lunar Lander Challenge.
  
• Wirefly is the new sponsor of the Wirefly X-Prize Cup. Here is PR video on Google.
  
• Globalstar is launching 2nd generation communications satellites.
• ATK is building a "responsive" vehicle for the military.
• More comments on the new Space Policy.
• More comments on the ULA merger between Boeing and Lockheed Martin.
• A study on alternatives to the Ares I/V launchers. Clark Lindsey comments.
• Here is an (unofficial) launch schedule for the Shuttle through 2010. Hubble is April 17, 2008. And they plan 5 launches next year. Yeah, I see that happening.
• Everything in our solar system could be made of the same stuff.
• Mars Global Surveyor is tracking dust devils. (Just in time for Halloween).
• A Panel on robots vs humans in space came up with (gasp!) shocking conclusion that we need both. Duh!
• I think Mr. Herbert must have a boring existence if the only pictures that excite him are Wal-marts and McDonald's.

  The first color pictures sent back from the red planet tell me that Mars today is full of rocky craters and at least Saraha-like orange-hued sand dunes. No signs of a Wal-Mart or any golden arches, though. NASA scientists are reported to be overjoyed by the photos, from a robot they launched almost three years ago.