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Today’s CSExtra offers the latest reporting and commentary on space related activities from across the globe. NASA and its Lockheed Martin contractor partners celebrate Friday as their new Orion capsule soared into orbit for the first time atop a United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket at 7:05 a.m., EST, to start Exploration Flight Test-1, an unpiloted 4 1/2 hour test flight. A sluggish rocket valve and high winds forced a launch scrub on Thursday. U.S. Navy recovery vessels remained out to sea in the Pacific to recover the unpiloted Orion capsule. U.S. House panel to host Washington hearing on Orion and NASA’s Space Launch System heavy lift rocket on Dec. 10. Canada’s Chris Hadfield questions Mars One settlement goals. Europe okays construction of giant Chilean space observatory. Apollo moon samples point to past intense lunar magnetic field. Critics question claims of Martian meteorite with possible biological organics. NASA says loss of asteroid mission hardware in 2014 fire will not stall 2016 launch plans. U.S. House passes defense authorization measure that imposes ban on Russian RD-180 rocket engines, funds U.S. replacement. U.S. Justice Department okays ATK, Orbital Sciences merger. Boeing logs milestones in NASA fostered commercial crew development. Russia claims venerable Proton to launch often in 2015.
Human Deep Space Exploration
NASA launches new Orion spacecraft and new era
Associated Press via Yahoo.com (12/5): NASA’s new Orion spacecraft streaked into orbit Friday on a high-stakes test flight meant to usher in a new era of human exploration leading ultimately to Mars, the AP reported as Exploration Flight Test-1.
Follow NASA’s Orion spacecraft as it makes its first spaceflight
Houston Chronicle (12/5): Orion lifts off Friday at 7:05 a.m., EST, and reaches Earth orbit to begin 4 1/2 hour test flight.
Orlando Sentinel (12/5): Orion Exploration Flight Test-1 mission gets off to a successful start at 7:05 a.m., EST. The capsule settled into orbit 17 minutes after lifting off.
Stories from the Past 24 Hours
Live coverage: Orion tries again to launch
Spaceflightnow.com (12/5): After Thursday’s scrub of the first attempts to launch the NASA/Lockheed Martin Orion crew exploration vehicle on its first unpiloted test flight, mission managers celebrated a lift off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., on Friday at 7:05 a.m., After a two orbit, 4 1/2 hour flight, the capsule is to splash down in the Pacific Ocean, southwest of San Diego, Calif. Thursday’s scrub was blamed on sluggish propellant valves on the Delta IV Heavy launch vehicle and out of limit surface winds at the launch pad.
NASA’s Orion launch will test future of manned spaceflight
National Geographic (12/4): Orion’s heat shield, which will be tested as the unpiloted spacecraft one day intended to carry four astronauts, when it re-enters the Earth’s atmosphere at the conclusion of Friday’s 4 1/2 hour Exploration Flight Test-1. Splashdown is estimated for about 11:30 a.m., EST.
NASA’s test flight of Orion spacecraft is delayed
New York Times (12/4): Problems with a rocket valve, winds and a stray boat that wandered into a hazard area combined to delay efforts on Thursday to place an unpiloted NASA/Lockheed Martin Orion capsule in Earth orbit for the first time.
San Diego-based recovery ship waits as Orion launch scrubbed
Times of San Diego (12/4): Recovery vessels from the U.S. Navy Base San Diego remain at sea off the Pacific coast of California’s Baja Peninsula for the splashdown of the unpiloted Orion capsule following the NASA/Lockheed Martin Exploration Flight Test-1 test flight on Friday.
House SS&T Committee to hold hearing on Orion and SLS
Spacepolicyonline.com (12/4): The U.S. House Science, Space and Technology Committee sets Dec. 10th for a Washington hearing on the status of NASA’s Orion and Space Launch System programs.
Astronaut Chris Hadfield questions feasibility of Mars One mission
Newsweek (12/4): Ask the tough questions now, counsels Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield, when it comes to plans by Mars One, a Dutch nonprofit, to settle Mars with humans in the mid-2020s. Hadfield is a former commander of the International Space Station.
Ancient moon’s mega magnetic field explained
Science News (12/4): Lunar samples gathered by NASA’s Apollo astronauts suggest the moon once had a strong magnetic field, say scientists. It likely lasted one billion years and was as strong as the Earth’s.
Unmanned Deep Space Exploration
Monster telescope will be world’s largest cosmic eye
Discovery News (12/4): The European Southern Observatory’s governing council announces plans Thursday to proceed with the construction of the world’s largest ground based celestial observatory in Chile. First light is planned for 2021.
Experts cast doubt on meteorite study’s claims of Martian life
Space.com (12/4): New claims from European and Asian researchers of organic compounds in a Martian meteorite with possible biological origins spark criticism. The Tissint meteorite was recovered from Morocco in 2011.
Asteroid sample return still on track for launch, despite loss of flight hardware in fire
Space News (12/3): A Los Angeles fire in July destroyed hardware destined for NASA’s Osiris-Rex asteroid sample-return probe. Nonetheless, the U.S. space agency says plans for a 2016 launching of the robotic probe are unchanged.
Commercial to Low Earth Orbit
House passes final FY2015 NDAA, including RD-180 cutoff, money for new engine
Spacepolicyonline.com (12/4): The U.S. House passed the National Defense Authorization Act on Wednesday with a provision that would restrict imports of Russia’s RD-180 rocket engine. The measure includes provisions for $220 million to develop a U.S. alternative to the Russian rocket engine used by United Launch Alliance’s Atlas 5 to place U.S. national security payloads in Earth orbit.
Justice Department approves ATK-Orbital merger
Space News (12/4): The U.S. Justice Department on Thursday approved plans for the U.S. aerospace companies ATK and Orbital Sciences Corp. to complete a merger plan. It’s up to respective votes by shareholders to complete the deal.
Boeing’s CST-100 completes two NASA Commercial Crew milestones
SpaceflightInsider.com (12/4): Boeing has successfully completed the first milestone, the certification milestone review, required under the aerospace company’s Commercial Crew Transportation Capability agreement with NASA. Boeing has an agreement to complete the development of a private sector transportation service to Earth orbit for astronauts by late 2017.
Russia plans 11 Proton-M rocket launches in 2015 source
ITAR TASS, of Russia (12/4): Russia’s venerable but troubled Proton rocket is in line to launch as many as 11 missions in 2015, a source tells the news service.
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