Space news

 
Space station cargo delivery delayed about two weeks
 
Stephen Clark - SpaceflightNow.com
 
Technicians must re-enter a European Automated Transfer Vehicle to tighten retention straps on cargo bags, a move that will delay the craft's launch on a logistics mission to the International Space Station by two weeks to around March 23, officials said Friday. The Automated Transfer Vehicle, already closed inside the nose of an Ariane 5 rocket, was scheduled to launch March 9. But managers reviewing the readiness of the mission ordered a delay to give workers time to cinch two loose straps on two cargo bags, according to Massimo Cislaghi, the European Space Agency's ATV mission manager.
 
Space Luggage Glitch Delays Launch of European Robotic Spaceship
 
Denise Chow - Space.com
 
The planned March 9 launch of an unmanned European supply ship to the International Space Station has been delayed due to minor cargo packing issues discovered during a pre-flight inspection, officials announced Friday. Europe's third Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV-3) was slated to launch aboard an Ariane 5 rocket from Kourou, French Guiana late next week, but during a routine check, flight engineers noticed that some of the cargo onboard was not properly stowed, spokespeople at the European Space Agency said.
 
ESA delays Ariane 5 launch to resupply Space Station
 
Dan Thisdell - FlightInternational.com
 
A day after completing final assembly of the Ariane 5 rocket and its Automated Transfer Vehicle payload loaded with supplies for the International Space Station, the European Space Agency has decided to delay the scheduled 9 March launch, stating simply: "A routine inspection has concluded that additional measures are required to ensure the maximum readiness." There is no indication so far of the possible extent of the delay, with ESA simply saying that a new launch date will be announced as soon as possible.
 
Alabama GOP candidates express commercial space concerns
 
SpacePolitics.com
 
In 2008, Parker Griffith won the election for Alabama’s 5th Congressional district—which includes Huntsville and NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center—as a Democrat, succeeding longtime member Bud Cramer. In late 2009, though, Griffith switched parties, citing a perceived lack of support among other Congressional Democrats for NASA as one of the reasons for joining the Republicans. Griffith, though, lost in the GOP primary in June 2010 to Mo Brooks, who won the general election in November. Griffith is back, though, running in the Republican primary for that House seat as the major challenger to Brooks. Saturday night the two squared off in a televised debate in advance of the primary election a week from Tuesday. While the two disagreed on a number of issues in the debate, on space—specifically, whether there should be a greater role for commercial providers in the space program—the two were largely in agreement.
 
Commercial