Antarctican Telescope is Open for Business

The South Pole Telescope, built with money from NSF, Kavli Foundation of Oxnard, Calif., and the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation of San Francisco, is open for business. Scientists say the first observations were completed on February 16.

Antarctica, with its cold dry air, makes it a great place to look for dark energy, the mysterious stuff that is all the rage with cosmologist. (Except Louise Riofrio ).

Atlantis is Rolling Back to the VAB

After the External Tank was damaged by hail Monday night, NASA has decided to roll Atlantis back into the VAB. The rollback should be this weekend.

They are definitely not launching in March. Wayne Hale, shuttle manager, said "It will be about a month before we can talk about heading back to the launch posture."

The next available launch window is in April.

NASA plans to have 4-5 shuttle launches this year.

Largest Lake every Found on Titan

Researchers have discovered what they believe to be 1100km lake on Saturn's largest moon Titan. It is slightly smaller than Earth's largest lake, the Caspian Sea.

Unlike lakes on Earth, this new lake is likely filled with liquid methane.

New Star Trek Movie

Links:

• IMDB Star Trek XI


• Wikipeida
  

(from PR Newswire)

Star Trek," one of the most popular and successful franchises in the history of movies and television, returns to the big screen under the creative vision of J.J. Abrams, the force behind "Lost," "Alias" and "Mission Impossible III" for Paramount Pictures.


The team behind the film will include Alex Kurtzman & Roberto Orci ("Mission Impossible III") who wrote the screenplay and will executive produce with Bryan Burk. J.J. Abrams and "Lost" co-creator Damon Lindelof will produce. The film will begin shooting this fall for a Christmas Day 2008 release.


One of the most popular film and television franchises of all time, "Star Trek" has encompassed 726 total episodes for television in six different series, beginning with the original 1966-1969 series created by Gene Roddenberry. The 10 "Star Trek" films have grossed in excess of $1 billion at the worldwide box office. The original characters have been named among the 50 greatest TV characters of all time and the Enterprise has lent its name to two proposed spacecrafts.


"If there's something I'm dying to see, it's the brilliance and optimism of Roddenberry's world brought back to the big screen," said Abrams. "Alex and Bob wrote an amazing script that embraces and respects Trek canon, but charts its own course. Our goal is to make a picture for everyone -- life-long fans and the uninitiated. Needless to say, I am honored and excited to be part of this next chapter of Star Trek."


Brad Grey, chairman and CEO, Paramount Pictures, said, "We could not be more thrilled to be back in business with J.J. Abrams. The revival of the 'Star Trek' franchise is an important part of Paramount's turnaround."

SS2 Video

If you haven't seen this video, it is awesome.

MSNBC (click on the launch button next to the article).

SpaceShipFour (SS4)

Will Whitehorn mentioned SS4 in Flight International:

Meanwhile, Virgin Galactic has begun studying a SpaceShipFour (SS4) that could serve as a satellite launcher

SpaceX may have competition.

NASA and Virgin Galactic have Conflicting Stories

NASA said last week that they will not be buying seats on SS2.

it does not include training of NASA astronauts, an agreement to buy seats on a Virgin Galactic flight, or provision of technical advice by NASA to Virgin Galactic.

Will Whitehorn, President of Virgin Galactic told Flight International:

NASA had budgeted to buy seats on SS2 flights for astronaut training after the first six months of commercial operations. He also expected NASA to conduct research flights where scientists would fly with their microgravity experiments.

So guys, which is it?

SS2 Flight Rate

Rand Simberg has issues with my comment on SS2 flight rate recently.

I see no reason that they shouldn't have a much higher flight rate than that. I'd think that they could probably fly every day, as long as they make the hybrid motor easy to refuel.

He is correct, of course. However, I assume that in the beginning the flights will be less often as problems will show themselves up front. I see more of an exponential cure of flights starting with one every few weeks to get the kinks out. And closer to once per day when they are close to starting service.

Also, based on history, SS1 was flown months apart except for the X-Prize run, so I am trying to be conservative.

Editorial: Irans Motives

After Iran's reported missile launch earlier this month, they have now come out and said it was for research purposes.

Really?

I suppose researching long range missile technology that could hit Europe is still research. But I think they are trying to imply that it was all pure scientific, peaceful research. Deputy head of Iran's Space Research Center, Ali Akbar Golrousaid the launch “was aimed at improving science and research for university students.''

I think they are taking a page from China's playbook. Perform an action that is obviously provocative and then release in a press conference how it was for the greater good of mankind.

“Investment in space is very serious and requires time, but we are trying to speed this up,'' IRNA quoted Soleimani as saying.

This is probably true and very disturbing. Iran's is a lot like China except without the lucid periods.

Iran hopes to launch four more satellites by 2010, the government has said, to increase the number of land and mobile telephone lines to 80 million from 22 million. It also hopes to expand its satellite capabilities to increase Internet users to 35 million from 5.5 million in the next five years.

I am sure all their satellites are for Internet uses.

Space is becoming a very dangerous place.

March 15 Launch may be Postponed due to Hail

The March 15, 2007 launch of Atlantis may be postponed due to hail damage to the External Tank (ET) last night.

NASA will wait to decide for sure at the Flight Readiness Review (FRR) closer to time. If Atlantis misses it's March window, it will have to wait until April.

NASA is hoping to get 4-5 shuttle launches this year and can ill-afford to push Atlantis back much.

For more information.

NASA's Inflatible Structures Plan

Here is an overview of NASA idea to use inflatable structures for a moon base. Bigelow Aerospace is working to provide modules to NASA.

Media:

[View Video]

[Captioned Video]

NASA's Exploration is Off Target

NASA has already started to miss schedule targets for ESMD. From NasaWatch:

"... Within the program, three of the four projects are rated yellow: Orion, Ares and Ground Operations. Mission Operations Project is rated green at this time. ... Green is on target, yellow is off target but recoverable, red is unrecoverable." (emphasis mine)

Praying for SpaceX and RocketPlane/Kistler.

More on COTS Finalists

The print version of Space News has an article on SpaceX and Rp/K's COTS milestones. According to Brian Berger, here are where the two companies are at (hat tip RLV & Space Transport News):


SpaceX:
* has "built a structural engineering model of the Dragon capsule"
* made the Dragon's "heat shield support structure and nose cone" plus some other components
* currently assembling a Falcon 9 first stage;
* the first stage should be finished structurally, i.e. less the engines and internal plumbing, by end of March
* has test fired the upgraded Merlin 1C engine dozens of times
* hoping to launch the Falcon 1 in mid-March
* First Falcon 9 demo flight in September 2008

RpK:
* raised $45M last fall and they are making progress towards an unspecified financial milestone in May
* is nearing completion of an agreement with NASA to use the Michoud facility in New Orleans to build the K-1 and the cargo module for it.
* some K-1 components have been in storage at Michoud for several years. Other hardware will need to be shipped there.
* plans "to have the K-1 first stage assembled by September, followed sometime later by the second stage.
* After checking out the full system with both stages together, it will be partially disassembled and flown "to Australia in time for a mid- to late-2008 launch"
* First COTS demo flight in 2009

Colonization Blog

Darnell Clayton has a new blog on ways to colonize space.

Information on SpaceShipTwo

Leonard David has an article on the progress of SpaceShipTwo. Here are some things to note:

Whitehorn said more than 100 test flights are scheduled to give spaceliner operations a good shakeout. He estimated the first commercial flights will occur by the end of 2009 and possibly sooner if the planned trial runs prove to be trouble-free.

Whitehorn said that flight tests of the SpaceShipTwo/White Knight 2 will take place out of the inland spaceport at Mojave, Calif. “I imagine even the early flying program of commercial flights in late 2009 will be from Mojave,” he said.

After those initial flights, he said the company also plans to use New Mexico’s Spaceport America, especially as more facilities are added there around 2010. At least “that’s the scenario we’re working on at the moment,” Whitehorn said.

It that comes to pass, the test flights are going to have to start soon, perhaps later this year. At 1 flight/week, it would take two years to make 100 test flights.

Iran Launches a Space Capable Missile

Iran has reportedly launched a missile, built internally, that can reach the edge of space. Iran's Defense Ministry has not released the date of the test, however.

This does not represent an increase in Iran's missile capability "The performance is similar to that of existing solid-propellant Iranian tactical missiles," Doug Richardson, editor of the defence industry publication Jane's Missiles and Rockets has said.

Iranian defence minister Mostafa Mohammad Najjar said that Iran was planning to develop its own satellite and launch technology.

State of Private Space

Clark Lindsey gives an overview of the progress being made in the private sector and asks when NASA will make use of it. I think they are to a certain extent (with COTS and agreements), but they are stuck on Ares.

Fight in New Mexico over X-Prize Cup Funding

If you live in New Mexico, here it is:

All....we are at a critical point with the X PRIZE CUP. We need a mass calling campaign starting tomorrow morning! Our messages of support for the X PRIZE and Spaceport America must get in before NOON tomorrow or we are in danger of loosing everything we have been fighting for! Please contact everyone you know who believes in what we are trying to accomplish. I will be on the phone at 8 in the morning. Please join me....here's what you need to know:

The Governor had pushed for $1 million to be allocated for assistance in producing the X PRIZE Cup this year. That money has been removed by an unknown senator. In order for us to have those appropriations returned to the legislation we need "all hands on deck" to call Senate Minority Leader Lee Rawson 505-986-4703 and promote their support of our event. Please also contact Senator Tim Jennings (D), Co-Chair of the Senate Finance Committee, and ask that he help convince Sen. Rawson to add back the $1 million originally proposed. This money is crucial to our ability to produce the "space" portion of this show. Without the state's support we are in jeopardy of loosing major assets of content.

Short Speaking points:

1. Education Program. Last year over 8,000 school kids from all over NM where bussed in for the event. Astronauts, engineers and the Governor entertained the classes.

2. This year's education program is slated to triple in size. Math and Science K-12 is our intended reach.

3. We have the support of the following entities: City of Las Cruces, Mesilla Valley Economic Development, Dona Ana County, Sierra County, Otero County, City of Alamogordo, Holloman AFB, Kirtland AFB, Sandia National Labs, White Sands Missile Range, NASA, DARPA, DOD

4. We are in discussions with National Geographic and the Discovery Network to showcase the event in an hour-long nationally broadcast event.

5. Last year, with little effort, we exceeded 50 million media impressions. This year we are making our media and promotion plan a high priority. We hope to achieve over 2 million Webcast viewers.

6. A renewed cooperation between the XPC and the local business community has begun to bare fruit. Committees are being formed and outreach has been increased.

7. We are staunch supporters of the Gross Receipts Tax proposed in Dona Ana County to support the completion of the New Mexico Spaceport. We are lending assistance anywhere we can.

8. This event will help secure southern New Mexico's dominance in the personal space flight industry. Already, major players in this field have relocated or are in discussions to relocate to southern NM creating jobs in all facets of launch operations and manufacturing. Some would say that is a direct result of the X PRIZE Cup.

Bigelow to Build Moon Base

Robert Bigelow announced, in an interview with Alan Boyle, that Bigelow Aerospace will be using their inflatable modules to construct "space villages."

According to Bigelow, after he launch of the first orbiting space hotel into low earth orbit in 2010, Bigelow Aerospace will move their focus to the 1st Earth-Moon Lagrange point, or L1. Lagrange points are locations in space where the forces of gravity balance to keep a permanently stable position.

Mr. Bigelow plans to turn L1 into "construction zone" where the large inflatable complexes will be expanded, assembled, and lower to the lunar surface. Once on the moon, the modules will be covered in lunar regolith, or dust, to protect the "space villages" from radiation.



According to Mr. Bigelow:

Yes, our concept of lunar base construction would be to assemble various modules and propulsion/power buses in L1, and that would constitute the base. Those propulsion systems are full of fuel, and they are integrated into the overall structure in such a way that the entire structure lands as a unified base – which essentially was once a spaceship in L1, but is landed on the surface of the moon.

Bigleow has been in talks with NASA on the concept. Apparently the construction of an inflatable base and the regolith radiation protection are two different ideas that NASA is interested in. NASA has also been in talks with ILC Dover, Lockheed, and Boeing about lunar bases.

Bigelow says they are working on an innovative solution to moving the regolith on the complex:

The last thing you want to do is handcuff yourself to an Earth solution for moving material – a strategy that would be just crazy to apply to a lunar application. We have enough problems as it is keeping the machinery running – Caterpillars, loaders, excavators, all kinds of machinery.

So our solution is something entirely different, involving a method where no machinery actually is used. We’re going to be trying the method this year, using one of our steel simulators as a prototype, because it’s the size of vessel that mimics the full-scale module. We’re actually going to try in Las Vegas to apply our solution for covering up a full-scale module, involving only two people, with a depth of soil on the crown of at least 2 or 3 feet. We’ll give you more on this later as we progress with this experiment.

Later this year they plan on conduction Earth based tests of the technology. Genesis I is going better than expected, and Genesis II is expected to launch in April. A larger test module, Galaxy, will launch next year.

Retraction: NASA will not be Buying Seats on Virgin Galactic

To Bad.