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Wednesday’s CSExtra offers the latest reporting and commentary on space related activities from across the globe. The world’s space economy exceeds $300 billion in 2012, according to a Space Foundation annual study. At mid-day NASA and the Nobel winning physicist behind the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer plan to unveil first findings from the big particle observatory placed on the exterior of the International Space Station by shuttle astronauts in 2011. Scientists counter evidence that NASA’s Curiosity rover landed in an ancient lake on Mars. Can NASA’s Space Launch System survive future budget constraints without jeopardizing investments in commercial space transportation capabilities? NASA researchers turn to small drones for studies of a volcano in Costa Rica. Spring and Summer promise plenty to observe in the night sky.
1. From FlightGlobal.com: The global space economy eclipsed $300 billion in 2012, an annual increase of 6.7 percent, according to The Space Report for 2013, an annual assessment prepared by the Space Foundation. Commercial space activities fueled much of the increase.
http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/worldwide-space-economy-grew-in-2011-384121/
A. From The Huntsville Times: Russia and China surpassed the U. S. in numbers of attempted rocket launches, according to the Space Foundation assessment for 2013. The U. S. space workforce also reflected a decline for the fifth year in a row.
http://www.al.com/business/index.ssf/2013/04/report_global_space_economy_gr.html
2. From Space.com: NASA schedules a Washington news briefing for mid-day Wednesday to outline findings from the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer, a $2 billion observatory placed outside the International Space Station to search for cosmic anti-matter. The AMS was installed by a space shuttle crew in 2011.
http://www.exploredeepspace.com/20485-nasa-astrophysics-discovery-announcement-wednesday.html
3. From Nature News: Gale Crater, the Martian landing zone for NASA’s Curiosity rover, may not have the hoped for layered deposits left by an ancient lake. The assessment comes from scientists who’ve studied Mount Sharp, which rises from the center of the 100 mile wide depression. Studies using NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter suggest the deposits that form Mount Sharpe were formed by windblown deposits.
http://www.nature.com/news/mars-rover-s-search-for-signs-of-life-may-come-up-dry-1.12721
4. From Aviation Week & Space Technology: An op-ed argues for discontinuing NASA’s Space Launch System, a super rocket that Congressional advocates favor as the propulsion source for a new U. S. human deep space exploration capability. Instead, NASA should turn to the U. S. private sector for propulsion and instead look to a future lunar orbiting space station, according to the op-ed from Peter Wilson.
http://www.aviationweek.com/Article.aspx?id=/article-xml/AW_04_01_2013_p66-563151.xml.
5. From The Los Angeles Times: Researchers from NASA enlist small re-purposed military drones, called Dragon Eyes, for studies of the plume rising from a Costa Rican volcano. The un-piloted aircraft fly above rugged terrain videoing conditions in and outside the plume.
http://www.latimes.com/business/money/la-fi-mo-nasa-volcano-drones-20130402,0,5770711.story
6. From Discovery.com: The Spring and Summer skies promise an astronomical bounty.
http://news.discovery.com/space/astronomy/top-10-summer-treats-astronomy-130402.htm
Brought to you by the Coalition for Space Exploration, CSExtra is a daily compilation of space industry news selected from hundreds of online media resources. The Coalition is not the author or reporter of any of the stories appearing in CSExtra and does not control and is not responsible for the content of any of these stories. The content available through CSExtra contains links to other websites and domains which are wholly independent of the Coalition, and the Coalition makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy, completeness or authenticity of the information contained in any such site or domain and does not pre-screen or approve any content. The Coalition does not endorse or receive any type of compensation from the included media outlets and is not responsible or liable in any way for any content of CSExtra or for any loss, damage or injury incurred as a result of any content appearing in CSExtra. For information on the Coalition, visit www.space.com or contact us via e-mail at Info@space.com.
