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Friday’s CSExtra offers the latest reporting and commentary on space related activities from across the globe. Demystifying NASA in the post shuttle era. Senate appropriators expect to address 2014 NASA spending, after a rough week for the space agency before House appropriations and authorization panels. The Hubble Space Telescope finds a true “blue” alien planet, but the similarities with Earth stop there. New Horizons captures images of Charon. Washing those golden tresses on the ISS is a challenge. Virgin Galactic promotes from within.
1. From The Huffington Post: The web publication finds many confused over NASA’s status, following the retirement of the space shuttle program. The space agency is developing new human spacecraft for deep space exploration; managing the International Space Station; pioneering robotic planetary missions and making breakthroughs in aeronautics, the Huffington Post explains.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lauren-lyons/misconceptions-nasa_b_3561205.html?utm_hp_ref=tw
2. From Spacepolitics.com: U. S. Senate appropriators are expected to consider NASA’s 2014 $17.7 billion budget proposal next week. Senate action will follow deliberations in the House this week that would cut the agency’s budget and blunt NASA’s Asteroid Retrieval Mission plans.
http://www.spacepolitics.com/2013/07/11/house-appropriators-approve-bill-senate-to-act-next-week/
A. From Spacepolicyonline.com: Dueling op-eds between NASA Administrator Charles Bolden and Lamar Smith, chair of the House Science Space and Technology Committee, appeared in The Hill this week, as lawmakers tackled NASA funding and policy issues. Bolden argued the merits of a White House initiative that would have NASA corral an asteroid into lunar orbit for study on planetary defense grounds. Smith finds the Asteroid Retrieval Mission too expensive and uninspiring.
http://www.spacepolicyonline.com/news/rep-smith-and-bolden-square-off-on-asteroid-mission
B. From Aviation Week & Space Technology: House deliberations on NASA’s budget and future this week take on a partisan tone. Mars rejected as an explicit destination for human exploration.
http://www.aviationweek.com/Article.aspx?id=/article-xml/asd_07_11_2013_p01-01-595967.xml
3. From Science News: Astronomers use the Hubble Space Telescope to find a big “blue” planet. While this planet may look inviting, it’s much too hot and large for humans, say scientists.
http://news.sciencemag.org/sciencenow/2013/07/scienceshot-a-blue-alien-world.html?ref=hp
A. From USA Today: Earth’s similarity with alien planet’s blue tinge stop with color. Experts point to a “hot Jupiter.”
http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/sciencefair/2013/07/11/blue-planet/2506701/
4. From Space.com: NASA’s long lived Opportunity mission has sparked an international discussion over the record for distance covered by a planetary rover. The current record, 26 miles, is held by the former Soviet Union’s Lunokhod 2 moon rover, according to a study of imagery gathered by NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter. Opportunity reached Mars in 2004. Lunokhod landed in 1973.
http://www.exploredeepspace.com/21923-soviet-moon-rover-driving-record.html
5. From NBC News.com: As NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft barrels toward Pluto, the probe captures a photo of the moon Charon.
http://www.nbcnews.com/science/pluto-its-biggest-moon-grow-larger-nasa-probes-windshield-6C10607877
6. From Discovery.com: The sun reveals a magnetic secret.
http://news.discovery.com/space/astronomy/solar-tsunami-rips-across-the-sun-130711.htm
7. From Ria Novosti, of Russia: NASA astronaut Karen Nyberg illustrates the challenges of washing long tresses of hair while living aboard the International Space Station.
8. From the Las Cruces Sun News, of New Mexico: Virgin Galactic appoints a new president, Steve Isakowitz, a Virgin Galactic vet and formerly of NASA.
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