10/18/12 news

    Thursday, October 18, 2012   JSC TODAY HEADLINES 1.            Don't Forget -- Just Nine Days Remaining to Complete the 2012 JLT Survey 2.            Be Cyber Safe By Attending Forums on Oct. 25 in the Teague and Building 3 3.            Free Flu Shots Today 4.            Gate 2 Now Permanently Closed 5.            Solar Tour and Energy Day in Houston This Saturday 6.            Blood Drive Continues at JSC 7.            Memorial Tree-Planting Ceremony for Dr. Mike Duncan -- Oct 26, 9:30 a.m. 8.            Illegal Drug Trends in Schools 9.            Fright Fest at the Gilruth Center on Oct. 26 10.          Domestic Violence in the Workplace 11.          Overcoming Weight-Loss Barriers 12.          Humans in Space Youth Art Competition -- Due Date Extended to Nov. 15 13.          Reassignment Opportunities Available at JSC 14.          Drum Reconditioning Program 15.          NASA@work Challenges: Submit Your Solution Today 16.          INCOSE Texas Gulf Coast Chapter Oct. 18 Event 17.          NPMA JSC Chapter Invites You to a Brown Bag/Live Webinar -- Oct. 23 ________________________________________     QUOTE OF THE DAY “ In life, as in football, you won't go far unless you know where the goalposts are.”   -- Arnold H. Glasgow ________________________________________ 1.            Don't Forget -- Just Nine Days Remaining to Complete the 2012 JLT Survey JSC Director Mike Coats and the Joint Leadership Team (JLT) would like to invite you to participate in the 2012 JLT Survey. We appreciate your time and your dedication to making JSC a successful team. To participate in the survey, please click here. If you have any questions about the survey or about the instructions for completing it, please contact Erin Misegades at 281-244-0003. Erin Misegades x40003   [top] 2.            Be Cyber Safe By Attending Forums on Oct. 25 in the Teague and Building 3 As part of National Cyber Security Awareness Month, JSC's Information Technology (IT) Security Team will present several information sessions on Thursday, Oct. 25. Presentations in the Teague Auditorium include: -          12:30 to 1 p.m.: Being a Cyber-Secure Parent - How to Turn Kids into Vigilant Web Users -          1 to 2 p.m.: Working Securely from Home, or Anywhere Brown-bag sessions in the Building 3 Collaboration Center include: -          Noon: IT Security Operations Capabilities -          12:30 p.m.: Assessment and Assurance (A&A) Showcase -          1 p.m.: Organizational Computer Security Representative (OCSR) Showcase All JSC team members are invited. For more, go to the Information Resources Directorate's website. JSC IRD Outreach x41334 http://ird.jsc.nasa.gov   [top] 3.            Free Flu Shots Today The Occupational Health Branch is offering FREE flu shots to JSC civil servants and contractors who are housed on-site TODAY, Oct. 18, in the Building 30 lobby from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. While waiting, please form a single-file line, do not block doors and exits and keep noise to a minimum as a courtesy to personnel working in the building. Vaccine supplies are now limited, so we cannot guarantee the supply will last all day. To expedite the process, PLEASE visit the website below, read the Influenza Vaccine Information Statement and complete the consent form prior to arrival. On the day of the flu shot, wear clothing that allows easy access to your upper arm (short sleeve or sleeveless). Bob Martel x38581 http://sd.jsc.nasa.gov/omoh/scripts/OccupationalMedicine/Fluprogram.aspx   [top] 4.            Gate 2 Now Permanently Closed JSC team members should keep in mind that as of today, Oct. 18, Gate 2 is permanently closed. (Gate 2 is the entrance from NASA Parkway, in front of Building 1.) Because of the increased traffic flow to other gates, employees may need to plan additional time when arriving at JSC during the morning hours. To keep traffic moving, please be sure to always have your access badge ready to present to the officers on duty. Although we recognize and regret that this will be an inconvenience for the employees accustomed to using Gate 2 in the morning and during lunch, it is part of a necessary effort to reduce costs at the center. Ginger Milligan x32877   [top] 5.            Solar Tour and Energy Day in Houston This Saturday See real solar-powered homes and learn how you can save energy and transition to a clean energy future this Saturday, Oct. 20. The ninth annual Houston Solar Tour is from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. around town, and the Energy Day Festival is from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at City Hall. Stop by NASA Booth #33 and say hi. See the websites for more details on these two related events. Mike Ewert x39134   [top] 6.            Blood Drive Continues at JSC There is no substitute for blood. It has to come from one person in order to give it to another. Will there be blood available when you or your family needs it? A regular number of voluntary donations are needed every day to meet the needs for blood. Your blood donation can help up to three people. Please take an hour of your time to donate now at our blood drive. Today is the last day this month for donations at JSC. Donate in the Building 2 Teague lobby or at the donor coach located next to the Building 11 Starport Café from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. You can also donate in the Gilruth Center Coronado Room from 7:30 a.m. to noon. Teresa Gomez x39588 http://jscpeople.jsc.nasa.gov/blooddrv/blooddrv.htm   [top] 7.            Memorial Tree-Planting Ceremony for Dr. Mike Duncan -- Oct 26, 9:30 a.m. A tree-planting ceremony in honor of Dr. Mike Duncan will be held on Oct. 26 at 9:30 a.m. at the memorial tree grove. You are invited to join family and friends to remember him. Lisa Navy x32466   [top] 8.            Illegal Drug Trends in Schools For parents of teens: The newest illegal drugs sweeping the nation are prevalent on high school and college campuses, easily obtained and highly dangerous. As part of Red Ribbon Week, the JSC Employee Assistance Program is pleased to host Stacy L. Killgore, captain at the Galveston County Sheriff's Office, who will provide information on the latest trends and signs to look for. Please join us on Wednesday, Oct. 24, at 12 noon in the Building 30 Auditorium. Lorrie Bennett, Employee Assistance Program, Clinical Services Branch x36130   [top] 9.            Fright Fest at the Gilruth Center on Oct. 26 A spooky night will be had for all with Halloween fun at the Gilruth Center on Oct. 26! Our Fright Fest Bash is where it's at with a bounce house, games, candy, prizes, face painting, costume contests, photo ops and more from 5 to 7:30 p.m. in the Gilruth Center gymnasium. It's $5/child if ticket purchased by Oct. 19, or $7/child after. Adults do not need a ticket. Purchase tickets at the Gilruth Center or the Buildings 3 11 Starport Gift Shops. Be sure to visit out haunted house -- if you dare! It's 5 to 8 p.m. in the Gilruth Center Lone Star Room (second floor) and $5/person or $3 if the child has a ticket to the Fright Fest Bash. Take a tour as many times as you want! Plus, join in on our Spooky Spin specialty spin class or learn and perform the Thriller dance in your best zombie attire. Register at the Gilruth Center for both classes. Click here for more. Shelly Haralson@nasa.gov x39168 http://starport.jsc.nasa.gov/   [top] 10.          Domestic Violence in the Workplace Be prepared - you may save a life. If you have a friend, co-worker or employee at work who is the victim of domestic violence, it will impact you and your work area in countless ways. Come learn the facts and what you can do if you find yourself in that situation. In recognition of National Domestic Violence Awareness Month, the Employee Assistance Program is honored to host Kim Seaton, Ph.D., as she presents "Domestic Violence in the Workplace: Facts, Intervention and Assistance." When: Oct. 22 Time: 12 noon to 1 p.m. Where: Building 30 Auditorium Lorrie Bennett, Employee Assistance Program, Clinical Services Branch x36130   [top] 11.          Overcoming Weight-Loss Barriers Good nutrition plays a very big role in weight loss. If you have tried to lose weight but have been unsuccessful -- don't fret! Dropping those extra pounds is not easy and usually requires a lot of hard work. Just because you were not successful in the past doesn't mean you can't do it. This class will address some of the common barriers to weight loss and nutrition strategies for overcoming them. The class will be held Oct. 23 at 5 p.m. in the Gilruth Center. Family members are welcome to attend. Email Glenda Blaskey to sign up for this class today! If you're working on improving your approach to healthy nutrition but can't attend a class, we offer free one-on-one consultations with Glenda Blaskey, the JSC Registered Dietitian. Glenda Blaskey x41503   [top] 12.          Humans in Space Youth Art Competition -- Due Date Extended to Nov. 15 Inspire the world about space! Encourage youth 10 to 18 years old to participate in the international Humans in Space Youth Art Competition and express their views of the future of space exploration via literary, visual, musical and video artwork. Youth artwork will be woven into multimedia displays and performances worldwide to inspire people of all ages and promote dialogue about space. The artwork submission deadline has been extended to Nov. 15. Please go to the website to learn more. Share the link with friends, neighbors, schools and youth organizations. Sign up to be a judge and see what the next generation thinks is important for the future of space. Jancy C. McPhee x42022 http://www.humansinspaceart.org   [top] 13.          Reassignment Opportunities Available at JSC Right now there are several lateral reassignment opportunities available around the center. These currently include: Certification and Verification Lead; Flight Planning Integration and Operations Office Manager; Avionics and Software Office Deputy Manager; Mission Planning and Operations Manager; Robotics Integration Engineer; Life Sciences and Astrophysics Research Portfolio Manager; Lead Increment Scientist; Senior Test and Verification Engineer; Payload Safety Engineer; Media and Mission Support; International Space Station ECLS Subsystem Engineer; SOPD New Opportunities Relationship Manager; and many more. Check back at the Workforce Transition Tool frequently to see what new opportunities are posted. Interested parties can visit the Workforce Transition Tool and follow the path: Employees - Workforce Transition - and then enter the Workforce Transition Tool. Lisa Pesak x30476 https://hr.nasa.gov   [top] 14.          Drum Reconditioning Program Who would have thought that environmental projects can save money and are becoming the norm? Learn more about JSC's drum recycling and reconditioning program in JSC's "The Greener Side." Environmental Office x36207 http://www6.jsc.nasa.gov/ja/ja13/index.cfm   [top] 15.          NASA@work Challenges: Submit Your Solution Today A new challenge has just launched on the NASA@work platform: Seeking In-flight Calcium Isotope Measurement Device. Jump onto the NASA@work site to view the challenge problem, submit your solution and/or to check out other active challenges on the platform (Challenge #1467: A Durable/ Permanent Anti-Fog for the EMU Helmet).    New to NASA@work? NASA@work is an agencywide, collaborative problem-solving platform that connects the collective knowledge of experts (like YOU) from all centers across NASA. Anyone can participate! Check it out and submit your solution today. Kathryn Keeton 281-204-1519 http://nasa.innocentive.com/   [top] 16.          INCOSE Texas Gulf Coast Chapter Oct. 18 Event Mike Ewert of JSC's Thermal Systems and Engineering Support Branch will give a presentation on "Engineers Without Borders" and lead us in discussing associated Systems Engineering perspectives. This event is free and will be held at the Jacobs Conference Center (455 E. Medical Center Blvd., Webster, 77598 - at the corner of Feathercraft Lane and Medical Center Boulevard). Networking starts at 5:30 p.m., and opening comments begin at 6 p.m. For more information/questions, please contact Larry Spratlin at 281-461-5218 or via email. Larry Spratlin 281-461-5218   [top] 17.          NPMA JSC Chapter Invites You to a Brown Bag/Live Webinar -- Oct. 23 Dr. Douglas Goetz presents "Property Management System Analysis and Audit Testing the Process and Outcome for Records." As a government or government contractor employee using government property to perform your work, your help during an audit is needed to make it run smooth and quick. Could you defend your audit position? Could you provide evidence of the audit protocol that you used? This Web conference will cover the proper methods to test outcomes for the process of records, including proper population definitions, population stratification, sampling methods and confidence levels. You will walk away with a newfound comprehension of the process and skills needed to perform a proper records review. General membership meeting - 11 to 11:30 a.m. Live webinar presentation - Noon to 1:30 p.m. (FREE for NPMA members, and $5 for non-members. CEU credits available.) Where: Boeing facility, 13100 Space Center Blvd., Tower II, CR 1300 RSVP to Gloria.Samora@boeing.com or bebe.a.watkins@nasa.gov by close of business Oct. 22. BeBe Watkins 713-933-6861 http://jsc.npma.org/   [top]   ________________________________________ JSC Today is compiled periodically as a service to JSC employees on an as-submitted basis. Any JSC organization or employee may submit articles. To see an archive of previous JSC Today announcements, go to http://www6.jsc.nasa.gov/pao/news/jsctoday/archives.         NASA TV: ·      7:25 am Central (8:25 EDT) – E33 FE Aki Hoshide’s JAXA Google Plus Hangout Event (in native language with interpreted replay at 10 CDT) ·      1 pm Central (2 EDT) – Video File of Expedition 33/34 Crew Activities in Baikonur   Human Spaceflight News Thursday – October 18, 2012   Final Roll: Atlantis moves from its OPF to the VAB ahead of Nov. 2 transfer to visitor center   HEADLINES AND LEADS   Space Station Orbit Readjusted Before New Crew Arrival   RIA Novosti   The orbit of the International Space Station (ISS) was raised on Wednesday by one kilometer in anticipation of the arrival of new crew members at the end of October, Russia’s Mission Control said. The adjustment was carried out with the use of thrusters on the Russian Zvezda service module. “The Zvezda thrusters were switched on for 19 seconds to give the station an additional boost of 0.3 meters per second,” a Mission Control spokesman said.   Space Station Opens Launch Pad for Tiny Satellites   Elizabeth Howell - Space.com   Astronauts on the International Space Station have transformed their high-flying laboratory into a new kind of launch pad for tiny satellites in a bid to boost student interest and access to space. This month, the space station's Expedition 33 crew launched five tiny Cubesats, each only a few inches wide, using a small satellite orbital deployer from Japan's space agency JAXA. They were the first Cubesat satellites ever launched from the International Space Station, coming 2 1/2 years after NASA announced the CubeSat program. "This was a learning experience for everyone," said Andres Martinez, the NASA Ames project manager for one of the satellites.   Skydiver's feat could influence spacesuit design   Marcia Dunn - Associated Press   Now that the dust has settled in the New Mexico desert where supersonic skydiver "Fearless Felix" Baumgartner landed safely on his feet, researchers are exhilarated over the possibility his exploit could someday help save the lives of pilots and space travelers in a disaster. Baumgartner's death-defying jump Sunday from a balloon 24 miles above Earth yielded a wealth of information about the punishing effects of extreme speed and altitude on the human body - insights that could inform the development of improved spacesuits, new training procedures and emergency medical treatment. A NASA engineer who specializes in astronaut escape systems said Baumgartner's mission "gives us a good foundation" for improving the odds of survival for professional astronauts, space tourists and high-altitude pilots and passengers.   ULA Wraps Up Year-Long Study on Crewed Atlas 5   Dan Leone - Space News   Completion of a yearlong joint study with NASA has brought the United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas 5 rocket a step closer to being certified to launch crew-carrying vehicles to the international space station starting later this decade, the space agency said. NASA announced Oct. 15 that ULA had completed its work on an unfunded Space Act Agreement during which it examined, among other things, possible failure modes for the proven Atlas 5. Denver-based ULA, a Boeing-Lockheed Martin joint venture, fulfilled the fifth and final milestone of the agreement, awarded in 2011 as part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Development (CCDev) 2 program, in August. Recipients of unfunded Space Act Agreements get access to NASA infrastructure and expertise but no money changes hands.   Jeff Bezos’ Secretive Blue Origin Tests New Rocket Engine   Jason Paur - Wired.com   The most secretive commercial space company has passed a milestone after successfully test-firing part of its new rocket engine. Blue Origin, the suspiciously quiet rocket company started by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, fired up the thrust chamber for its engine at NASA’s Stennis Space Center in Mississippi. The engine is a 100,000-pound thrust model that uses liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen as fuel. Blue Origin plans on using the engines as part of its reusable booster system that will launch its interestingly shaped spacecraft into orbit as part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Development (CCDev) project.   Atlantis rolls out, heads to VAB for last visit   Todd Halvorson - Florida Today   Mustachioed Terry White is still is known as “The Mayor of the OPF,” three shuttle processing hangars collectively called the Orbiter Processing Facility at Kennedy Space Center. Now 63, the North Merritt Island resident was there on March 25, 1979, when Columbia rolled into OPF Bay No. 1 in advance of the first flight of NASA’s then-nascent shuttle program. Let the record show that White also was here 33 years, six months and 23 days later, when Atlantis became the last shuttle orbiter to roll out of one of the hangars.   Final space shuttle ready for shipment to retirement site   Justin Ray - SpaceflightNow.com   The final moment resembling normalcy in the space shuttle era at the Kennedy Space Center occurred Wednesday morning as Atlantis rolled from her hangar to the Vehicle Assembly Building, a trek performed 35 times for real in the ship's flying days and now one last time for storage to await transfer to the spaceport's museum Nov. 2.   Favorable first impressions made at space symposium   Steve Ramirez - Las Cruces Sun-News   First impressions mean a lot, and those were favorable at today's International Symposium for Personal and Commercial Spaceflight for Brig. Gen. Gwen Bingham and Lori Garver.   Bingham, who became commander of White Sands Missile Range about a month ago, made her first public appearance in Las Cruces at Wednesday's symposium, at the New Mexico Farm and Ranch Heritage Museum. Although new to Las Cruces — Bingham had never been in New Mexico until becoming WSMR's commander — she spoke of White Sands as she was a native. Bingham's half-hour keynote address at the conference mentioned Werner Von Braun; the March 31, 1982 landing of space shuttle Columbia at White Sands Space Harbor; the Delta Clipper and Clipper Graham reusable rocket program; and NASA's Orion program, all which have had strong ties to White Sands. Garver, deputy administrator for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, also wowed Las Crucens and visitors attending the conference. She talked about the importance of developing and sustaining partnerships involving the public and private sectors. "Government's key here is to help with the direction of this industry," said Garver, referring to the commercial space flight industry.   Commercial space sector set to hop aboard Private companies jockey for starring roles   Mike Kelley - Florida Today   Florida is taking steps to profit from what a top state space development official predicted would be a boom in commercial space business as reduced federal spending forces the government to rely more on the private sector. “It’s time now for greater commercial reliance in this industry,” said Frank DiBello, president of Space Florida. He said the worldwide commercial space industry, estimated to be worth $280 billion, and associated space technologies can spawn thousands of new businesses, and Florida is well-positioned to grab its share.   Space industry execs discuss commercial space potential on Space Coast   Patrick Peterson - Florida Today   Despite hopes to restore massive government spending for the aerospace industry, the trajectory of Brevard County’s space industry likely will be guided by this concept: commercial. “I think we’ll be back to passing budgets the way they ought to be passed,” U.S. Rep. Bill Posey said Wednesday at an Aerospace and Defense Roundtable in Melbourne. “There is going to be less (government) spending in the future, no doubt about it.” Posey plans to introduce a bill to put NASA funding on a long-range basis, which would make it more secure.   Mars food and other space waste highlighted in report   SpacePolitics.com   Ask different people in the space community to identify wasteful spending at NASA and you’re likely to get a range of answers. Some will argue that NASA is wasting money by supporting three commercial crew competitors when it should downselect to a single company. Others decry the cost increases and schedule delays on the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) that have hurt other science programs. And, of course, the Space Launch System (aka the “monster rocket”) has its share of detractors. None of those programs, though, made it this week into Sen. Tom Coburn’s (R-OK) “Waste Book 2012?, a compendium of generally obscure government programs that the senator deems a waste of taxpayers’ money.   Astronaut Taking IndyCar To International Space Station   PaddockTalk.com   The IZOD IndyCar Series is entering the space race. Actually, an IZOD IndyCar Series 1:64 diecast car is among the personal items accompanying U.S. astronaut Kevin Ford on his scheduled Oct. 23 voyage to the International Space Station. Ford, 52, a native of Montpelier, Ind., and a University of Notre Dame graduate, will join two Russian cosmonauts aboard a Soyuz capsule. The retired U.S. Air Force colonel will serve as the flight engineer through November before relieving another astronaut as the space station's commander through March 2013.   Cutting NASA funding is insulting to Americans   Evan Favill - Madison Daily Cardinal (Editorial)   A few days ago, a man with a balloon set the world record for the highest altitude skydive ever attempted. Fast forward a few days and this man, Felix Baumgartner, is now a household name. Watching it myself, I couldn’t help but feel like I was watching something akin to the moon landing of 1969; it’s a frontier that no one’s explored before. Being sponsored by a private company doesn’t take away from the fact that so much of the technology employed in the venture was developed in the first place by NASA. It’s a little confusing to me, then, why a federal program that produces so much in terms of useful technology and research, to say nothing of the sheer wonder and inspiration, is being considered for the massive spending cuts it is. __________   COMPLETE STORIES   Space Station Orbit Readjusted Before New Crew Arrival   RIA Novosti   The orbit of the International Space Station (ISS) was raised on Wednesday by one kilometer in anticipation of the arrival of new crew members at the end of October, Russia’s Mission Control said.   The adjustment was carried out with the use of thrusters on the Russian Zvezda service module.   “The Zvezda thrusters were switched on for 19 seconds to give the station an additional boost of 0.3 meters per second,” a Mission Control spokesman said.   “As a result of the maneuver, the station’s orbit was increased by one kilometer to 419.2 kilometers,” the official said.   The adjustment was intended to “smooth out” the elliptic shape of the orbit and ensure the best conditions for the docking of the Soyuz TMA-06M manned spacecraft with the orbital outpost slated for October 25.   The Soyuz TMA-06M will bring to the station Russian cosmonauts Oleg Novitsky and Yevgeny Tarelkin, along with NASA astronaut Kevin Ford, as part of Expedition 33.   They will join the current crew consisting of NASA astronaut Sunita Williams, Russian cosmonaut Yury Malenchenko and Japan’s Akihiko Hoshide.   The launch of a Soyuz-FG carrier rocket with the new ISS crew is scheduled on October 23 from the Baikonur Space Center in Kazakhstan.   Space Station Opens Launch Pad for Tiny Satellites   Elizabeth Howell - Space.com   Astronauts on the International Space Station have transformed their high-flying laboratory into a new kind of launch pad for tiny satellites in a bid to boost student interest and access to space.   This month, the space station's Expedition 33 crew launched five tiny Cubesats, each only a few inches wide, using a small satellite orbital deployer from Japan's space agency JAXA. They were the first Cubesat satellites ever launched from the International Space Station, coming 2 1/2 years after NASA announced the CubeSat program.   "This was a learning experience for everyone," said Andres Martinez, the NASA Ames project manager for one of the satellites.   The cubesats were launched from the station's Japanese Kibo laboratory on Oct. 4, which also marked the 55th anniversary of the world's first satellite launch in 1957 that placed Russia's Sputnik 1 in orbit and ushered in the Space Age.   "Fifty-five  years ago we launched the first satellite from Earth. Today we launched them from a spacecraft," space station commander Sunita Williams of NASA said on launch day to mark the moment. "Fifty years from now, I wonder where we'll be launching them from."   The JAXA satellite-deploying device arrived at the station aboard a Japanese cargo ship in July. Japanese astronaut Akihiko Hoshide placed the deployer, which is about the size of a small rabbit cage, into a small airlock in the Kibo lab. Then, the astronaut sealed the airlock, opened it up to space, and commanded the station's Kibo robotic arm to pick up the deployer and bring it outside for satellite deployment.   All told, the procedure took only four hours of astronaut time – with no spacewalk required.   "If you can imagine, deploying satellites from station can be quite risky," Martinez said. "We were going through that whole experience of conducting analysis to ensure this would be something safe to do from station, not only from the point of deployment but also taking up the satellites inside station."   Small satellite evolution   One of the cubesats launched from the space station was TechEdSat, a 10-centimeter-wide (3.9 inches) satellite that Martinez oversaw. Students at San Jose State University were responsible for most of the design and development work.   The students are operating a ground station where they will be able to listen to signals from TechEdSat. The satellite periodically sends out packets of data with information about its temperature, orbit and other parameters explaining its environment in space. The project cost about $30,000, excluding labor and launch costs.   "It's a huge STEM success," Martinez said, referring to NASA's program for attracting students to the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. He added that NASA Ames made sure the students were prepared to meet the rigorous standards of the design and development process.   Anything that goes on to the space station must meet strict safety standards, including making sure there is no fire risk. Satellites in particular have items such as batteries and wires on board.   The students "were not put in a cage with a bunch of lions," Martinez said. Instead "we prepped them and worked with them, and a couple of [advisers] attended those meetings in person."   The satellite cube is expected to exceed its initial design lifetime of a month, but Martinez declined to give specifics because the final parameters for the design and orbit have not been analyzed yet.   Only one major objective will be unmet. Initially the satellite was supposed to compare OrbComm and Iridium communications techniques in space, but there was not enough time to meet the licensing requirements before the launch date.   Five satellites, one catapult   Of the other four satellites released Oct. 4, one of them, F-1, was a collaboration of Houston-based space hardware developer NanoRacks, Uppsala University in Sweden and FPT University in Vietnam.   The other three satellites were from institutions working with the JAXA. The satellites were called RAIKO, WE WISH and FITSAT-1. The latter satellite is designed to write messages in the sky inMorse code, with the aim of letting researchers test out optical communication techniques.   NASA chose to release the satellites in two batches to minimize the chances of collision with the station, Martinez said.   As the satellites have no maneuvering capability, NASA calculated a trajectory that would make it very unlikely that the cubes' orbit would ever intersect with that of the station.   With the success of the launches, NASA is on its way to reducing the expense of civilian access to space. It is cheaper to deploy a satellite from the space station than from Earth.   "The whole idea is about lowering cost," said Victor Cooley, the space station's Expedition 33/34 lead increment scientist, in a recent interview on NASA Television. "If we can lower the cost by these payloads being a secondary payload on a rocket ? or, in this case, HTV [a Japanese cargo vehicle] which is already carrying cargo to the station ? that makes it an even lower cost for the smallsats to be deployed."   There are no firm plans for when NASA and JAXA will do such an exercise again, but Martinez says there is a "very large pool" of students and engineers who are eager to take part.   "It got attention to the very top of NASA, and everyone is super-excited," he said.   Skydiver's feat could influence spacesuit design   Marcia Dunn - Associated Press   Now that the dust has settled in the New Mexico desert where supersonic skydiver "Fearless Felix" Baumgartner landed safely on his feet, researchers are exhilarated over the possibility his exploit could someday help save the lives of pilots and space travelers in a disaster.   Baumgartner's death-defying jump Sunday from a balloon 24 miles above Earth yielded a wealth of information about the punishing effects of extreme speed and altitude on the human body - insights that could inform the development of improved spacesuits, new training procedures and emergency medical treatment.   A NASA engineer who specializes in astronaut escape systems said Baumgartner's mission "gives us a good foundation" for improving the odds of survival for professional astronauts, space tourists and high-altitude pilots and passengers.   "What I would hope is that, perhaps, this is just the first step of many, many advancements to come" in emergency bailouts, said Dustin Gohmert, who heads NASA's crew survival engineering office at the Johnson Space Center in Houston.   In an interview after Baumgartner became the first skydiver to break the speed of sound, Gohmert noted that researchers have spent decades working on self-contained space escape systems, with no significant advances since Joe Kittinger in 1960 jumped from 19.5 miles up and reached 614 mph, records that stood until Sunday.   Baumgartner's feat was sponsored by energy drink maker Red Bull, and NASA had no role. But Dr. Jonathan Clark, a former NASA flight surgeon who lost his wife, Laurel, in the space shuttle Columbia accident and dedicated himself to improving crew escape systems, was in charge of Baumgartner's medical team.   And he was thrilled at how much was learned.   By going well beyond Mach 1, or the speed of sound, Baumgartner provided even more data than anticipated. Wearing a pressurized suit and helmet, he accelerated to an astonishing 834 mph and was supersonic longer than expected. The speed of sound at that altitude is close to 700 mph.   "It was Mach 1.24, which is really huge. I mean, that's a much higher level than we'd ever anticipated, so we learned a lot by going faster and higher," said Clark, who teaches at the Baylor College School of Medicine.   Clark said his team is still analyzing all the medical data - heart rate, blood pressure and the like - collected from sensors on Baumgartner's body.   During his descent through the stratosphere, Baumgartner went into an out-of-control spin for about 40 seconds, experiencing around 2.5 G's, or 2.5 times the force of gravity, before stabilizing himself.   Baumgartner's technique for righting himself may prove useful for companies like Virgin Galactic that are developing spacecraft that will take tourists up into space and right back down. These enterprises will need to have some sort of emergency escape plan.   NASA's next-generation spaceship, the Orion vehicle intended for deep-space exploration, will parachute home like the old-style Mercury, Gemini and Apollo capsules. The lessons learned from Baumgartner's effort probably won't apply directly to the Orion design, since it will be safer for astronauts to remain in the vessel all the way back to Earth, Gohmert said.   As for the now-ended shuttle program, Columbia was traveling too high and too fast during its 2003 descent for a Baumgartner-style exit to have helped the seven astronauts. The spaceship broke apart about 40 miles up while traveling more than Mach 17, unleashing forces that tore the crew members' bodies apart.   In the 1986 Challenger disaster, the crew capsule shot out of the fireball that erupted during liftoff, but there are too many unknowns to say whether any lessons from Baumgartner's feat might have applied to that tragedy, Gohmert said.   After each accident, NASA improved its efforts to protect crews in an emergency. But by the time the 30-year shuttle program shut down last year, the window for escape was still limited to below about 6 miles and less than 230 mph.   Baumgartner's pressurized suit - a close cousin of the orange suits used by shuttle astronauts and the suits worn by high-altitude U-2 spy pilots - was designed for use in a standing, free-falling position, while conventional spacesuits are made primarily for sitting. By all accounts, the new suit performed well.   "I think all of us here in our lab specifically who have dealt with the shuttle suits have looked at this in wonder and amazement, and really appreciated what they did," Gohmert said. "And that efficiency that they brought it forth with is also a model for us to learn from as well."   The suit was made by the David Clark Co. of Worcester, Mass.   "Perhaps in the future, someone might say, `We want people to be in suits, some type of commercial space thing. We want them to be able to float around better and not in a seated position,'" Dan McCarter, a program manager at the company, said Wednesday.   "Now we know a little more on how to reposition arms and legs on the suit. Of course, we're always doing research and development. ... New knee joints, new elbow joints, lighter hardware. It's nonstop. We are currently working on the next-generation of suit right now for NASA and the Air Force."   The suit Baumgartner used was previously certified to 100,000 feet. "Well, we pretty much say now it's certified to 128,000 feet," McCarter said.   An uncorrected spin could have caused Baumgartner to black out and suffer a deadly stroke. Baumgartner said afterward that he could feel pressure building in his head during the spin, but did not come close to passing out.   His recovery crew had specialized equipment on hand to treat him for a multitude of medical problems he might have suffered. Clark and his team spent years refining the emergency treatments and the mobile gear required. In the end, none of it was needed.   "I tell you, we had a lot of medical support because we were very concerned," Clark said. "We had to be ready for everything."   ULA Wraps Up Year-Long Study on Crewed Atlas 5   Dan Leone - Space News   Completion of a yearlong joint study with NASA has brought the United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas 5 rocket a step closer to being certified to launch crew-carrying vehicles to the international space station starting later this decade, the space agency said.   NASA announced Oct. 15 that ULA had completed its work on an unfunded Space Act Agreement during which it examined, among other things, possible failure modes for the proven Atlas 5. Denver-based ULA, a Boeing-Lockheed Martin joint venture, fulfilled the fifth and final milestone of the agreement, awarded in 2011 as part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Development (CCDev) 2 program, in August.   Recipients of unfunded Space Act Agreements get access to NASA infrastructure and expertise but no money changes hands.   Data from the ULA study is critical to efforts by Boeing and Sierra Nevada Corp. to field commercial vehicles capable of ferrying astronauts to and from the space station. Houston-based Boeing Space Exploration and Sierra Nevada Space Systems of Louisville, Colo., have selected the Atlas 5 as the launcher for their proposed vehicles, which are being developed under funded Space Act Agreements awarded by NASA in August.   If either company ultimately wins a contract to transport astronaut crews, Atlas 5 will have to be certified by NASA as safe for human transport prior to 2017, the agency’s notional date for the first privately operated astronaut flight.   A third competitor in NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) of Hawthorne, Calif., would launch its proposed crew capsule aboard its Falcon 9 rocket, which has made four successful flights to date. SpaceX is working on a crew-carrying variant of its Dragon cargo capsule, which has made two trips to the space station to date under a separate NASA-funded program.   NASA is spending a combined $1.2 billion on the SpaceX, Boeing and Sierra Nevada concepts under the third and final development round of the Commercial Crew Program. At the end of the 21-month effort the agency intends to select at least one company to ferry space station crews on a commercial basis.   ULA’s study work was focused on understanding “all the different ways the Atlas 5 could possibly fail,” George Sowers, ULA’s vice president of human spaceflight, said in an Oct. 17 interview here. “This is all data that feeds into our emergency detection system and will eventually support certification.”   The emergency detection system, designed to detect crew-threatening launch anomalies, is critical to fielding a human-rated version of the Atlas 5. ULA won a $6.7 million Space Act Agreement for design work on the system in 2010.   Although the Atlas 5 is built and operated by ULA, it is Boeing or Sierra Nevada that would bear responsibility for securing a NASA safety certification for the vehicle. Rather than certify elements of a crew transportation system piecemeal, NASA says it will certify only a complete system that includes both a launcher and a crew vehicle.   NASA, meanwhile, is planning to award between two and four Certification Products Contracts in February. These contracts, which would be worth up to $10 million each, will allow NASA to examine certain elements of proposed crew transportation systems and determine whether the designs meet agency safety standards.   Besides work on the emergency detection system, ULA’s CCDev 2 Space Act Agreement also set design requirements for the company’s planned dual-engine Centaur upper stage; explored the technical challenges of certifying the Atlas 5 to NASA’s human-rating requirements; and settled on design approaches for modifying Launch Complex 41 at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida to support the Boeing and Sierra Nevada crew vehicles.   Following the retirement of the space shuttle fleet in July 2011, NASA has relied on the Russian government to fly its astronauts to the space station. Rides on the Russian Soyuz system currently cost the U.S. space agency about $65 million a seat.   Jeff Bezos’ Secretive Blue Origin Tests New Rocket Engine   Jason Paur - Wired.com   The most secretive commercial space company has passed a milestone after successfully test-firing part of its new rocket engine. Blue Origin, the suspiciously quiet rocket company started by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, fired up the thrust chamber for its engine at NASA’s Stennis Space Center in Mississippi.   The engine is a 100,000-pound thrust model that uses liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen as fuel. Blue Origin plans on using the engines as part of its reusable booster system that will launch its interestingly shaped spacecraft into orbit as part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Development (CCDev) project. The Washington-based company is one of four upstart private space firms receiving funding for the development of a manned spacecraft that will be capable of carrying astronauts into orbit. The other participants are Boeing, Sierra Nevada and Elon Musk’s SpaceX.   “We are very excited to have demonstrated a new class of high-performance hydrogen engines,” said Rob Meyerson, president and program manager of Blue Origin in a statement from NASA. “Access to the Stennis test facility and its talented operations team was instrumental in conducting full-power testing of this new thrust chamber.”   Hydrogen fuel engines were used in the space shuttle program as fuel for the main engines of the orbiters themselves. The impressive shock diamonds above are the result of a new hydrogen-fueled engine – the first test of its kind in several years. It’s also used on the Delta IV rocket, which continues to be a workhorse in space launches. The Merlin engines on SpaceX’s Falcon 9, as well as the engines on the Atlas V rocket, use a high-grade kerosene as fuel. Sierra Nevada plans on using the Atlas V as its launch vehicle, while SpaceX will continue to use its own Falcon 9. Boeing says its manned spacecraft will be compatible with both the Atlas V and the Falcon 9, as well as the Delta IV rocket.   Unlike its competitors, Blue Origin has been very publicity-shy during the development of its various space vehicle programs. Only the occasional details are leaked out, often when the program is working directly with NASA. The CCDev program has provided funding through two separate phases. A third phase of funding was announced in August and of the four companies participating in CCDev2, only Blue Origin was not included.   It’s not known if Blue Origin will continue the development of its manned space program, as the company has other space tests in development and according to the Blue Origin website, it’s busy hiring.   Atlantis rolls out, heads to VAB for last visit   Todd Halvorson - Florida Today   Mustachioed Terry White is still is known as “The Mayor of the OPF,” three shuttle processing hangars collectively called the Orbiter Processing Facility at Kennedy Space Center.   Now 63, the North Merritt Island resident was there on March 25, 1979, when Columbia rolled into OPF Bay No. 1 in advance of the first flight of NASA’s then-nascent shuttle program.   Let the record show that White also was here 33 years, six months and 23 days later, when Atlantis became the last shuttle orbiter to roll out of one of the hangars.   Mounted atop a 76-wheeled, yellow transporter, the spaceship on Wednesday rolled over to the KSC Vehicle Assembly Building, finishing the first leg of a final journey to its new home, a $100 million facility being built at KSC Visitor Complex.   “It’s a little bit of a dry-moment-in-the-throat because this is the last time we’ll roll an orbiter out of an Orbiter Processing Facility,” White said.   “In 1979, we rolled the first one in, and now today, the last one is going out, and the saddest part of it is, it’s not going out for flight.”   Stephanie Stilson, the NASA manager in charge of prepping shuttle orbiters for museum display, called it “a somber event.”   Fleet leader Discovery already has been delivered to the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum’s Stephen F. Udvar Hazy Center in Chantilly, Va., outside Washington, D.C.   The prototype Enterprise is at the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum in New York city.   Endeavour inched its way through the streets of Los Angeles this past weekend and now is at the California Science Center.   Now Atlantis, the last of NASA’s orbiters, is scheduled to make its way Nov. 2 to the KSC Visitor Complex.   A shuttle-lifer, White will be chatting up tourists Saturday in the 52-story assembly building, showing people how the spaceship’s heat-shield tiles protected astronaut crews.   White, a shuttle hangar facility manager, was laid off from United Space Alliance on July 22, 2011 — the day after Atlantis landed on NASA’s 135th and final shuttle mission.   So now the congenial Air Force veteran is working with the KSC Docent program, guiding VIPs and others on tours.   He has plenty of experience.   Back on April 29, 2011, White escorted President Barack Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama, their daughters Malia and Sasha, and First Mother-In-Law Marian Robinson on a tour.   The presidential VIPs walked into an OPF hangar, and when they looked up, they were surprised to see the black tile-covered belly of Atlantis.   White gave them a hands-on tutorial of the shuttle’s Thermal Protection System — the tiles, blankets and composite carbon components designed to withstand extreme temperatures encountered during atmospheric re-entry — up to 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit.   The First Family went up stairs to peer into the ship’s crew cabin. They walked alongside the ship’s starboard wing and checked out its landing gear. They got multiple photo ops.   So how did White get that assignment?   “Well, because they call me ‘The Mayor of the OPF,’ and for years I’ve been handling guests,” he said.   Obama was impressed with White’s alabaster moustache, and with the shuttle’s heat shield system.   “I use a touchy-feely display of the Thermal Protection System, and actually let him and his family hold the tiles that protect the orbiter,” White said.   The Obama group got the entire 50-cent tour. But no more, no less, White said.   “I treat everyone the same. I give the same tour to executives as I give to the bus drivers who do the bus tours out here. I’ve escorted hundreds of employees,” White said.   The only people who rate anything special, White said, are “the astronauts and their families.”   Final space shuttle ready for shipment to retirement site   Justin Ray - SpaceflightNow.com   The final moment resembling normalcy in the space shuttle era at the Kennedy Space Center occurred Wednesday morning as Atlantis rolled from her hangar to the Vehicle Assembly Building, a trek performed 35 times for real in the ship's flying days and now one last time for storage to await transfer to the spaceport's museum Nov. 2.   Known in shuttle lingo as "rollover," this quarter-mile move meant a space shuttle launch was coming up. The orbiter would travel next door to the cavernous VAB for attachment to its external fuel tank and twin solid rockets atop a mobile platform. The completed stack would then crawl to the oceanside pad a week later.   But those days are long gone, and Atlantis' move simply vacates the only remaining hangar for its decommissioning.   "We're finally here. When we started working retirement (activities) a year-and-a-half ago, nobody really could visualize this moment. We knew it would get here eventually. Now the time has come and it's a little bit somber this morning," said Stephanie Stilson, NASA's director of shuttle decommissioning.   This shuttle is the last to be transferred to its final resting place -- the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. Discovery went to the Smithsonian in April, Enterprise was hoisted aboard the Intrepid in June and Endeavour journeyed through the streets of Los Angeles to the California Science Center just a few days ago   The privately-run KSC Visitor Complex is building a $100 million, 90,000-square-foot attraction to display Atlantis and tell the story of the space shuttle program.   Once Atlantis is hauled down the road to the site Nov. 2, she will be positioned inside the building and the last wall erected behind her. The final 40 percent of construction work on the facility will be completed over the subsequent months before a grand opening next July.   The 152,700-pound Atlantis will be mounted on three pedestals, anchored in place by engaging the same attachment points where the ship rode external tanks on the climb to orbit. The design elevates the spaceplane 18 feet off the floor and tilts Atlantis at an angle of 43.21 degrees for the public to gaze up at the craft's majesty.   The display concept will have the 60-foot-long payload bay doors opened, their weight supported by eight cords connected to the ceiling, to simulate Atlantis still operating in orbit and just departing the International Space Station.   The first step in getting to the museum occurred earlier this week when Atlantis was mounted aboard the 76-wheeled Orbiter Transport System used for hauling shuttles around.   Technicians fired up the OTS this morning just before 8:30 a.m., but then a heavy rainshower blew through and stalled Atlantis' departure from Orbiter Processing Facility bay 2, the western-most of the three hangars, until about 9:40 a.m. EDT.   "You could tell folks aren't ready to see her leave. In fact, we joked during the weather delay 'oh, she's not ready to go, she wants to stay here a little bit longer,'" Stilson said.   The transporter driver followed the blue lines painted on the concrete roadway toward VAB, stopping along the way for about 90 minutes while employees had an emotional gathering to see the ship outside, snapping pictures as tears flowed. They snacked on ice cream provided by Haagen Dazs, recalling a similar morale-boosting ice cream event held in happier times when shuttles were still launching.   The rollover resumed a little before 12 noon to enter high bay 4 in the northwest corner of the 52-story landmark building to sit for the next 17 days. Atlantis will be on display inside the VAB via bus tours operated by the KSCVC.   "It would be a very good time to take a VAB tour, and that's the same as we've done with the other vehicles that sat in the Vehicle Assembly Building. No work to be done, but a good opportunity for people to come and see her up close," Stilson said.   All work on retiring Atlantis since her final mission last July is now complete. A veteran of 33 spaceflights, traveling 125,935,769 miles and covering 4,848 orbits during 307 days aloft, the ship has been fully safed and configured for public display.   Getting to the museum begins at 7 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 2, as Atlantis embarks on a 9.8-mile, 11-hour trip down the road to the Visitor Complex.   The trek will take "the scenic route" to bypass the guard shack at the western entrance to the space center, instead going south on State Road 3, then turning east to go by KSC Headquarters, south on Avenue C, back westward on 5th Street to reach Exploration Park around 12:15 p.m. Atlantis will stop there for about three hours on public display before resuming the drive along Space Commerce Way to loop around to the NASA Parkway for the homestretch to the museum. Arrival is expected at 6 p.m.   Earlier in the day, around 9:45 a.m., the procession will stop inside the confines of the space center for a NASA ceremony at KSC Headquarters with Administrator Charlie Bolden, KSC Director Bob Cabana, members of Atlantis' final crew and KSCVC Chief Operating Officer Bill Moore.   The day wraps up with a fireworks show at 7 p.m. EDT.   Favorable first impressions made at space symposium   Steve Ramirez - Las Cruces Sun-News   First impressions mean a lot, and those were favorable at today's International Symposium for Personal and Commercial Spaceflight for Brig. Gen. Gwen Bingham and Lori Garver.   Bingham, who became commander of White Sands Missile Range about a month ago, made her first public appearance in Las Cruces at Wednesday's symposium, at the New Mexico Farm and Ranch Heritage Museum. Although new to Las Cruces — Bingham had never been in New Mexico until becoming WSMR's commander — she spoke of White Sands as she was a native.   Bingham's half-hour keynote address at the conference mentioned Werner Von Braun; the March 31, 1982 landing of space shuttle Columbia at White Sands Space Harbor; the Delta Clipper and Clipper Graham reusable rocket program; and NASA's Orion program, all which have had strong ties to White Sands.   "White Sands is a national treasure," Bingham said. "It's a phenomenal asset that includes two states and five counties."   Oh, and she didn't forget that only two places in the U.S. have unrestricted airspace from the ground to infinity in space, the White House and White Sands Missile Range.   White Sands is the birthplace of America's rocket program. It began there, with Von Braun and other scientists and rocketeers, in 1945.   Bingham added that isn't about to change anytime soon. She said an updated Memorandum of Understanding between WSMR and Spaceport America will be completed and signed next year. She also hinted that commercial space crews could begin training at White Sands by 2015.   Bingham made quite a first impression on Las Crucens attending the symposium.   "She's so exciting, so energetic," said Tyler Gordon, a Las Cruces engineer. "She impressed me with her knowledge, and I was taken by her excitement for the commercial space flight industry."   Garver, deputy administrator for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, also wowed Las Crucens and visitors attending the conference. She talked about the importance of developing and sustaining partnerships involving the public and private sectors.   "Government's key here is to help with the direction of this industry," said Garver, referring to the commercial space flight industry.   "We in government can be proud, and will be proud, of your progression," Garver said.   She also emphasized that NASA will be an integral part of the growing commercial space flight industry.   "We walk around greatness — the entrepreneurs and innovators," Garver said.   Commercial space sector set to hop aboard Private companies jockey for starring roles   Mike Kelley - Florida Today   Florida is taking steps to profit from what a top state space development official predicted would be a boom in commercial space business as reduced federal spending forces the government to rely more on the private sector.   “It’s time now for greater commercial reliance in this industry,” said Frank DiBello, president of Space Florida.   He said the worldwide commercial space industry, estimated to be worth $280 billion, and associated space technologies can spawn thousands of new businesses, and Florida is well-positioned to grab its share.   DiBello spoke as part of the “Space Launch and Commercial Space” panel at the fifth annual Wernher Von Braun Symposium this week at the University of Alabama in Huntsville. The event brought together several hundred space and aerospace leaders to discuss U.S. space policy and the outlook for manned and unmanned space exploration.   The panel of space industry executives grappled with the question, “Just what is commercial space?” and though their views and outlooks varied, they agreed that private sector participation is key — and it’s growing.   Steve Cook, director of space technologies for Dynetics, said the government must take the lead on major space endeavors that would be deemed too risky for the private sector. But once the government has broken through the barrier, the private sector should jump in.   A relative newcomer to commercial space, Cook’s Huntsville-based company has plunged in with its FASTSAT small satellites and major involvement with StratoLaunch, the Paul Allen-financed start-up that plans to launch rockets from high-altitude aircraft.   Sierra Nevada Space Systems Chairman Mark Sirangelo said commercial space has benefitted from what he termed “new thinking” in NASA.   “NASA has redirected its thinking over the past five years, but it’s not been an easy transition,” said Sirangelo, adding that NASA policies now allow companies to provide services in more cost-effective ways. “They have enabled my company to be successful.”   But he lamented the exodus of man-rated launch capability after the end of the shuttle program.   “It’s time for America to again have an American space program,” and “get rid of the help-wanted signs in Russia,” he said.   Sierra Nevada is one of three companies receiving development money from the government as part of its commercial crew program, which aims to return to the U.S. the capability to launch astronauts to the space station. The others are SpaceX and Boeing.   The panel posed several strategies for commercial space growth. Orbital Sciences’ Frank Culbertson stressed the importance of a larger customer base.   “We’re concerned that we have only one customer for crew,” he said, referring to NASA. “We need more people to fly.”   Boeing’s Pete McGrath worried that American fascination with space has waned in recent decades and must be rekindled.   “For a large percentage of the population, we may never get their interest. But if we don’t maintain the lead, other nations will take it from us,” he said.   Space industry execs discuss commercial space potential on Space Coast   Patrick Peterson - Florida Today   Despite hopes to restore massive government spending for the aerospace industry, the trajectory of Brevard County’s space industry likely will be guided by this concept: commercial.   “I think we’ll be back to passing budgets the way they ought to be passed,” U.S. Rep. Bill Posey said Wednesday at an Aerospace and Defense Roundtable in Melbourne. “There is going to be less (government) spending in the future, no doubt about it.”   Posey plans to introduce a bill to put NASA funding on a long-range basis, which would make it more secure.   Roundtable participants were from Harris Corp., Lockheed Martin, Space Florida, United Launch Alliance, SpaceX, ATK Aerospace Group and the University of Central Florida.   However, at the meeting, the most impressive numbers were announced by Scott Henderson, director of mission assurance and integration for SpaceX, the first commercial company to launch a capsule to the International Space Station.   The California company plans six launches in 2013, eight in 2014 and 10 in 2015.   All the launches will be paid for by commercial enterprises, most of which are lofting communications satellites. In addition, SpaceX is developing a manned capsule for NASA that it hopes will be selected to someday carry astronauts to the International Space Station.   In 1980, the U.S. launched 100 percent of the world’s commercial payloads, a percentage which has fallen to virtually nothing. By 2015, some 17 percent of launches will lift off from the U.S. on SpaceX rockets, Henderson said. “We’re starting to bring some of them back,” he added.   Military and aerospace companies in Brevard are fearful that the sequester budget cuts, which could go into effect after Jan. 1, could drain their budgets deeply and disrupt the focus of the U.S. space industry.   “Nobody has painted a scenario for when the bubble bursts,” Posey said. “It’s just not specific. That’s the scariest thing.”   Posey’s opponent in the November election, Shannon Roberts, a Democrat, said she also supports NASA’s three-pronged plan of commercialization, deep space exploration, and research and development.   She said she would work to diversify Brevard’s space industry and support health and energy research by NASA.   “I would work to bring federal resources to Kennedy Space Center,” she said.   Mars food and other space waste highlighted in report   SpacePolitics.com   Ask different people in the space community to identify wasteful spending at NASA and you’re likely to get a range of answers. Some will argue that NASA is wasting money by supporting three commercial crew competitors when it should downselect to a single company. Others decry the cost increases and schedule delays on the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) that have hurt other science programs. And, of course, the Space Launch System (aka the “monster rocket”) has its share of detractors.   None of those programs, though, made it this week into Sen. Tom Coburn’s (R-OK) “Waste Book 2012?, a compendium of generally obscure government programs that the senator deems a waste of taxpayers’ money. One program that has attracted a considerable share of media attention is a NASA effort: “Out-of-this-world Martian food tasting”. It’s a reference to a $947,000 program to develop and test foods that could be enjoyed by crews on future Mars expeditions. To Coburn, studying that now, at least a couple decades before any such human mission to Mars, is a waste: “You do not need to be a rocket scientist to realize the millions of dollars being spent to taste test Martian meals that may never be served is lost in a black hole.”   That, however, is neither the only nor even the biggest NASA program included in Coburn’s report. The report cited “NASA Entertainment, Inc.”, what it calls the $1.6 million the agency has spent on various interactive projects, including games and the “Third Rock Radio” online radio station. A $771,000 lessons learned database that is “outdated and poorly utilized” (citing a report by NASA’s Office of the Inspector General) also made the report. The biggest NASA program in the report is the $12.4 million spent by federal agencies ($10 million by NASA) to develop a new visitors center for the Stennis Space Center; the report complained it was less cost effective than making upgrades to the original visitors center there.   The report also cited one DARPA space-related project: its funding for the “100-Year Starship” effort, which awarded a $500,000 grant to a group earlier this year as seed funding to continue the effort in the private sector. “Is this project a priority while we have over a $16 trillion debt?” the report asks.   The combined value of the NASA programs cited in Coburn’s report is about $13.3 million, or less than 0.1% of NASA’s overall budget. (The total value of all the programs is about $18 billion, slightly more than NASA’s entire budget but less than 2% of the federal budget deficit for fiscal year 2012.) Coburn argues in the report’s introduction that while this might seem like small change, it can still seem like a big difference to the average person: “How many of our friends, families and neighbors could be fed with the nearly $1 million the government spent taste testing foods to be served on the planet Mars?” One imagines, though, that some people still believe there are bigger sources of waste in their pet programs in the space agency.   Astronaut Taking IndyCar To International Space Station   PaddockTalk.com   The IZOD IndyCar Series is entering the space race.   Actually, an IZOD IndyCar Series 1:64 diecast car is among the personal items accompanying U.S. astronaut Kevin Ford on his scheduled Oct. 23 voyage to the International Space Station.   Ford, 52, a native of Montpelier, Ind., and a University of Notre Dame graduate, will join two Russian cosmonauts aboard a Soyuz capsule. The retired U.S. Air Force colonel will serve as the flight engineer through November before relieving another astronaut as the space station's commander through March 2013.   "I take a few things to remind me of my home state and home schools, and one of the things from my home state is a small race car that represents the Indianapolis 500," said Ford, who was the pilot of space shuttle Discovery for a September 2009 mission to the space station.   Ford and his colleagues will be aboard the station during an exceptionally busy time that includes cargo operations of two SpaceX Dragon commercial vehicles, four Russian Progress resupply vehicles and the arrival of "Cygnus," the first commercial cargo spacecraft from the Orbital Sciences Corp., scheduled for December.   Cutting NASA funding is insulting to Americans   Evan Favill - Madison Daily Cardinal (Editorial)   A few days ago, a man with a balloon set the world record for the highest altitude skydive ever attempted. Fast forward a few days and this man, Felix Baumgartner, is now a household name. Watching it myself, I couldn’t help but feel like I was watching something akin to the moon landing of 1969; it’s a frontier that no one’s explored before.   Being sponsored by a private company doesn’t take away from the fact that so much of the technology employed in the venture was developed in the first place by NASA. It’s a little confusing to me, then, why a federal program that produces so much in terms of useful technology and research, to say nothing of the sheer wonder and inspiration, is being considered for the massive spending cuts it is.   In America, there are two reasons for disliking NASA as I see it. Number one: we’ve already gone to the moon, so nothing else needs doing for a while. Number two: Other countries are catching up with us in capability in space, so they’re not efficient enough.   Both of these positions advocate for cutting NASA’s budget since it’s seen as ineffective and useless as a government agency. May I say here that these people are largely missing the point of our space program. Yes, Russia is now ferrying our astronauts to the International Space Station due to the discontinuation of the space shuttle program. Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan have both expressed concerns about this and the fact that China is eyeing a moon landing while we haven’t done so in decades. Therefore, NASA is ineffective and its funding should be cut by $1.5 billion, right? They couldn’t be more wrong.   There’s a fine line between wanting to cut down on wasteful spending and cutting off a major part of America’s research and development capabilities. Private industry has a great potential for innovation, sure, but private industry is limited by the production of what will be profitable. They aren’t typically being presented with new problems to solve, rather settling for improvements on existing solutions.   Taking a look at the medical technologies industry, for instance, it’s quite clear that our understanding of the human body is not the most rapidly changing concept out there. After all, medicine in various forms has been studied on earth for thousands of years.   Once the body is put into long periods of isolation in zero gravity, however, our perception of medicine changes hugely. Oftentimes, the research performed by NASA on the technology needed to keep its astronauts alive is used in innovative new ways by private companies who certainly wouldn’t have stumbled across the solution through a pursuit of profit.   Through this kind of process, government funding for research and development without any clear profitability results in a great deal of useful products using NASA’s technology. Should public-sector research be limited, the rate of innovation as a whole is drastically slowed. You like sleeping on memory foam? Thank NASA. How about more efficient solar panels? Guess who’s helping that along.   All of this is purely taking a look at the commercial applications of the research, of course. I’ll not go into detail on the massive asteroid problem that’s been posed by Neil Degrasse Tyson and Bill Nye (to name a couple of its more famous proponents). That’s to say nothing of the sheer spectacle of NASA’s accomplishments, whether it be landing on the moon or putting a robot or two on Mars. Nothing from any other country can rival what the United States is able to pull off through NASA. It’s one of our greatest resources as a nation and cutting it down to a meager size would be an insult to our national pride.   END