Wednesday’s space news scan finds more reporting and commentary on U.S. space policy and NASA’s future. Some of the discussion is centered around a hearing of the U. S. Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee on the future of U. S. human spaceflight. The session, which is scheduled for broadcast over NASA-TV as well as on the Internet at 2:30 p.m., EDT, http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/index.html,
The hearing will feature testimony from Neil Armstrong and Gene Cernan, the first and last of the Apollo astronauts to walk on the moon. Also, the National Research Council issues a report that finds NASA’s aging laboratories and other facilities only “marginally” adequate for the research the agency is responsible for. Meanwhile, a countdown is under way for the launching the shuttle Atlantis on Friday, at 2:20 p.m. EDT. The weather outlook is favorable.
1. From the Houston Chronicle, U. S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, a Texas Republican and member of the Senate commerce committee, plans to push for an extension of NASA’s soon to retire shuttle program during Wednesday’s hearing on the basis of astronaut safety. Hutchison wants an two year extension, with two flights annually. She’ll press her case based on the safety of U.S. astronauts, who will otherwise travel to the International Space Station aboard Russian Soyuz rockets. http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/7000705.html
2. From the New York Times, the National Research Council, the research arm of the National Academies of Science, issues a report that finds NASA laboratories and other facilities as “marginally” adequate. The findings strengthen the case that President Obama is making for NASA to focus on research and development, according to the NY Times.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/12/science/space/12nasa.html?scp=2&sq=NASA&st=cse
A. From Spacepolicyonline.com, The NRC’s report expresses concern that NASA’s research facilities are in a state of decline and in need of significant repair. Facilities may be unsafe. http://www.spacepolicyonline.com/pages/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=891:nrc-says-nasa-facilities-deferred-maintenance-is-qstaggeringq-affects-safety&catid=67:news&Itemid=27
B. From Reuters via MSNBC, NASA laboratories hobbled by out of date facilities and pressure to find the resources for upgrades. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/37089681/ns/technology_and_science-space/
3. From NASAwatch.com, Personnel changes are coming to the House appropriations subcommittee responsible for NASA’s budget through anticipated retirements and primary elections.
http://nasawatch.com/archives/2010/05/wake-up-call-fo.html
4. From Spacepolitics.com, The chairman of NASA’s House appropriations subcommittee loses his bid for re-election. http://www.spacepolitics.com/2010/05/12/mollohan-loses-reelection-bid/
5. From Aviation Week & Space Technology, NASA reaches out to Congress, academia to support plans to invest in far reaching space technology research to gain capabilities for future human deep s[pace exploration.
http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story_channel.jsp?channel=space&id=news/asd/2010/05/11/10.xml&headline=NASA%20Managers%20Push%20Plan%20In%20Congress,%20Academia
6. From Space.com, A large amount of “missing matter” is detected with NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory, a sibling Great Observatory to the Hubble Space Telescope, as well as the European Space Agency’s Newton observatory.
http://www.exploredeepspace.com./scienceastronomy/chandra-missing-matter-100511.html
7. From Discovery.com, the Hubble Space Telescope captures an image of remarkable star as it is ejected from its home galaxy.
http://news.discovery.com/space/hubble-spies-trailblazing-star-ripped-from-stellar-nursery.html
8. From Space News, NASA’s recently launched WISE mission should draw to a close in October, according to a NASA recommendation. WISE, launched in December, is a space telescope in search of faint objects, including asteroids that could pose a collision threat to the Earth. The telescope’s cooling system is fading, according to design.
http://www.spacenews.com/civil/100511-nasa-rejects-extending-wise-infrared-telescope-mission.html
9. From the New York Times and the paper’s photo blog, Lens, a look at Mars through the eyes of the Martian rover, Opportunity.
http://lens.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/12/readers-19/
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