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Monday’s CSExtra offers a roundup of space related activities making headlines over the weekend: Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords was seriously wounded during a shooting spree at a Jan. 8 political rally in Tucson. Giffords, wife of NASA astronaut Mark Kelly, chaired the House Space and Aeronautics Subcommittee in the previous Congress and is among a bi-partisan legislative contingent supportive of NASA’s exploration agenda. Family and friends rally around the couple. As shuttle Discovery’s mission slips from early to late February to support more troubleshooting of fuel tank cracks, Feb. 24th may offer a launch date option. NASA slips as a Congressional priority. NASA advances commercial space transportation funding. Apollo 17’s Harrison “Jack” Schmitt will over see New Mexico energy matters. Private companies investigate lunar landing systems. Scientists gather more evidence that comet impacts served as the source of lunar water.
1. From CBS News and Spaceflightnow.com, Jan. 8: Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords was shot Saturday at a Tucson political rally. Giffords is married to NASA astronaut Mark Kelly, who is scheduled to command NASA’s final scheduled space shuttle mission, which is tentatively slated for lift off aboard Endeavour on April 1.
http://www.spaceflightnow.com/news/n1101/08giffords/
A. From the Houston Chronicle, Jan. 8: In Houston, friends rally around NASA astronaut Mark Kelly, husband of Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, who was shot earlier in the day at a Tucson, Ariz., political rally. Restaurateur Tilman Fertitta loans his corporate jet to fly Kelly from Houston to Tucson to join his wife.
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/7372176.html
B. From the Washington Post, Jan.10: Mark Kelly’s issues a statement in support of the Tucson shooting victims. He urges support for Tucson’s community food bank and the Southern Arizona Chapter of the American Red Cross, two of Giffords’ favored charities.
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/44/2011/01/reports-arizona-rep-gabrielle.html
C. The Coalition for Space Exploration, Jan. 8: The Coalition extends sympathies and support to Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, who was shot Saturday at a political rally in Tucson.
http://www.exploredeepspace.com/blog/the-coalition-for-space-exploration-extends-its-heartfelt-wishes-to-u-s-representative-gabrielle-giffords-for-a-full-and-speedy-recovery
D. From the New York Times, Jan. 8: A look at the ties between Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, her husband, NASA Astronaut Mark Kelly, and her brother-in-law, NASA Astronaut Scott Kelly, Mark’s twin. Giffords, who was past chair of the House Space and Aeronautics Subcommittee, is among a bi-partisan group of lawmakers who support future human space exploration.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/09/us/politics/09nasa.html?_r=1&src=twrhp
E. From Spacepolitics.com, Jan 8: A wide range of space organizations express support for Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, husband Mark Kelly, their families and the other victims of the Tucson shooting spree.
http://www.spacepolitics.com/2011/01/08/more-reaction-to-the-giffords-shooting/
F. From Spacepolicyonline.com, Jan. 9: Additional statements regarding Giffords and Kelly.
http://www.spacepolicyonline.com/pages/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1332:wia-and-usa-statements-about-rep-giffords&catid=67:news&Itemid=27
G. From Spacepolicyonline.com, Jan. 9: The House suspends activities for the week of Jan. 10th in response to the shooting of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, and others in Tucson.
http://www.spacepolicyonline.com/pages/
H. From the Wall Street Journal, Jan. 9: The House will honor Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and other victims of the Tucson shooting on Wednesday.
http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2011/01/09/house-to-honor-giffords-other-victims-on-wednesday/?KEYWORDS=NASA
I. From the Associated Press via the Washington Post, Jan. 9: The AP speculates that Mark Kelly will be unable to serve as the commander of NASA’s final shuttle mission aboard Endeavour. The flight is tentatively slated for an early April send off.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/01/09/AR2011010902245.html
J. From the Houston Chronicle, Jan. 9: No decision has been made about Mark Kelly’s Endeavour assignment, NASA says..
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/space/7373314.html
K. From MSNBC: NASA and Mark Kelly may look to another astronaut to complete the training for Endeavour’s mission.
http://cosmiclog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/01/08/5793827-tragedys-impact-extends-to-space
L. From Spacepolitics.com, Jan. 8: A roundup of comments from pro-space groups in support of Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, her husband, other family and friends.
http://www.spacepolitics.com/2011/01/08/more-reaction-to-the-giffords-shooting/
2. From Florida Today, Jan. 8: Feb. 24 may be one possibility for shuttle Discovery’s next launch attempt. Currently, Discovery is the focus of an investigation into multiple fuel tank stringer cracks. Plans for a possible launch between Feb. 3 and 10 were dropped last week so investigators would have more time. Feb. 24 might work if the European Space Agency’s unmanned cargo craft, the Johannes Kepler, can dock with the International Space Station early. The supply ship is currently set for a Feb. 15 launching and a Feb. 26 docking.
http://www.floridatoday.com/article/20110108/NEWS02/101080310/Discovery+may+launch+Feb.+24+at+the+earliest
3. From Space.com, Jan. 7: NASA’s future is not a priority for the new Congress, policy experts tell Space.com. While lawmakers provided NASA with a visionary blueprint in the 2010 NASA authorization measure, none of the objectives were funded by Congressional appropriators, and its unclear how soon the new Congress will act.
http://www.exploredeepspace.com/news/nasa-budget-new-congress-limbo-110107.html
A. From the Orlando Sentinel: The high tech defense and space sectors in Central Florida face an uncertain future, as cuts in defense spending loom and NASA’s shuttle program approaches retirement.
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/os-cfb-technology-011011-20110110,0,3650328.story
4. From Space News, Jan. 7: NASA advances funding to its two Commercial Orbital Transportation Services contractors, SpaceX and Orbital Sciences Corporation, in order to keep development on track. Though Congress has yet to act on 2011 appropriations, the two companies are essential to NASA’s plans to keep the International Space Station supplied once the shuttle program retires.
http://www.spacenews.com/civil/110107-nasa-boosted-cots-funding.html
5. From Spacepolicyonline.com, Jan. 7: Former U.S. Sen. Harrison “Jack” Schmitt, also Apollo 17 moon walker, has been nominated to head New Mexico’s department of energy, minerals and natural resources. The nomination comes from new Governor Susana Martinez.
http://www.spacepolicyonline.com/pages/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1318:jack-schmitt-to-be-new-mexicos-secretary-of-energy-minerals-and-natural-resources&catid=67:news&Itemid=27
A. From Spacepolitics.com, Jan. 7: New Mexico’s new Governor, Susana Martinez, plans new leadership for Spaceport America. Outgoing executive director Rick Homans expresses concerns that without firm leadership the project could be in jeopardy. Spaceport America will host Virgin Galactic’s suborbital passenger flights.
http://www.spacepolitics.com/2011/01/07/briefs-bolden-talks-homans-walks/
B. From Space.com, Jan. 7: Homans says his departure as executive director of Spaceport America was politically motivated.
http://www.exploredeepspace.com/news/commercial-spaceport-director-resigns-110107.html
6. From the Huntsville Times, Jan. 8: With NASA funding, Huntsville propulsion experts are developing a robotic lunar lander. The technology could be applied to a range of missions.
http://blog.al.com/space-news/2011/01/new_lunar_lander_prototype_bei.html
A. From Space.com, Jan. 9: NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite mission brought news of water on the moon last year. Much of the water likely came from comet strikes during the early days of the solar system, say scientists.
http://www.exploredeepspace.com/scienceastronomy/moon-water-origin-comets-110109.html
7. From Collectspace.com: Subway sandwich shops offer a new space themed promotion of collectible air and space photographs.
http://www.collectspace.com/ubb/Forum16/HTML/000648.html
8. From Spacepolicyonline.com, Jan. 9: Major space policy events scheduled for this week. The Senate is not in session. The House has postponed activities this week because of the Arizona shooting.
http://www.spacepolicyonline.com/pages/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1333:events-of-interest-week-of-january-9-14-2011&catid=67:news&Itemid=27
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