Dateline Feb 24, 2006, News from the Internet

ed: I passed 10,000 viewers last night. Thanks goes out to my readers.

• China revealed that their third spaceflight and first space walk would occur in 2008 on the Shenzhou-7 mission. Shenzhou-8, with the mission of a space dock, will be launched around 2009 to 2011. It is not clear what they will be docking with, other than "a space capsule."


• South Africa is revamping their Space Council. This council is suppose to coordinate all things space in the African nation. It has been ineffective since it's creation in 1993.


• Scientist have witnessed a new type of cosmic explosion. It is like a gamma-ray burst, but more distant and more powerful than anything we have seen before.


• California is trying to catch up with Florida in attracting CEV manufacturing and testing. Lockheed has committed to Florida if they win the contract to build the CEV. Florida has offered $45 million in incentives and offered 0% sales tax to space related ventures located in the state.


• Florida is still trying to capture a private space port. Saying

  We'll continue to talk to anyone who is interested in horizontal launch throughout Florida whether it is Space Adventures or Virgin Galactic, or others," said Lieutenant Governor Toni Jennings



• An editorial in the TODAYonline (a Singapore newspaper) is very positive about the proposed spaceport.

  Now, in one stroke Singapore could be catapulted into the elite ranks of nations with a footprint in space.



• Scaled Composites, the builder of the famous SpacesShipOne, is hiring spacecraft builders. Burt Rutan says he isn't looking for traditional aerospace engineers but people who like to "build things with their hands."


• Some companies you may not have thought of are looking to make a profit off of man's expansion into space.


• Lunar Lander Analog contest rules are out.


• A panel of international perspectives on space exploration was held recently. Comments from Japan, China, & Europe about the VSE are recorded at Space Politics.


• Ed Flinn has an article on dealing with moon dust and colonization in the latest issues of Ad Astra from the National Space Society (of which I am a member).


• Apparently, Pluto has two more moons. I wonder how this will affect the Pluto planet or not debate.