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Today’s CSExtra offers the latest reporting and commentary on space related activities from across the globe. The U.S. has turned a post-shuttle corner in its pursuit of new human spaceflight capabilities, according to the four member crew that launched on that final mission three years ago this week. Apollo 11’s Buzz Aldrin urges support for U.S. human space exploration on approaching 45th anniversary of moon landing led by Neil Armstrong. Northrop Grumman, ATK reach new milestone in James Webb Space Telescope development. NASA’s Curiosity rover marks one Martian year in Gale Crater. Space veterans strive to re-establish control over three decade old NASA solar observatory. Sun unleashes major flare. Major comet falls within camera range of NASA’s NEOWise mission. Scientists confirm Voyager 1 probe now in interstellar space. Astronomers close in on powerful cosmic ray source. International Space Station astronauts tackle plant growth experiment. United Launch Alliance joins with U.S. Air Force in bid to force SpaceX to drop lawsuit. Florida vs. Texas in commercial space race. Soyuz rocket launches weather satellite.
Human Deep Space Exploration
Final Atlantis crew expresses hope for future in space
USA Today (7/8): NASA’s final shuttle mission lifted off three years ago Tuesday. Today, the four member crew believes NASA has turned a difficult corner in efforts to open deep space for human exploration and develop commercial services that transport astronauts to the International Space Station. “There were a couple of rough years after the shuttle program,” notes Chris Ferguson, the STS-135 commander, who now works for Boeing on the commercial crew initiative. “But I do see that we have turned the corner, we’ve bottomed out and we’re headed back in the right direction.”
Buzz Aldrin calls NASA ‘adrift,’ wants to go to Mars, but first to White House
Washington Post (7/8): Aldrin, who joined Apollo 11 commander Neil Armstrong on the surface of the moon, 45 years ago this month, would like President Obama to mark the anniversary with a meeting and an opportunity for the astronaut to tout Mars as the next destination for U.S. explorers.
Aldrin backs #Apollo45 campaign to commemorate moon landing
Fox News (7/8): Apollo 11 lunar module pilot Buzz Aldrin favors U.S./Chinese cooperation in future human space exploration. In the long term, humans should settle Mars, says Aldrin.
Buzz Aldrin wants humans to travel to Mars, but they can’t come back
National Journal (7/8): Humans can settle Mars within two decades, says Apollo 11’s Buzz Aldrin.
Aldrin wants people buzzing about #Apollo45
USA Today (7/8): Apollo 11 delivered human explorers to the moon for the first time on July 20, 1969. Lunar module pilot Buzz Aldrin wants to stir talk of the feat on social media. Heavy weight Hollywood stars join in.
Unmanned Deep Space Exploration
Testing completed on NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope back plane
Space Fellowship (7/8): The structural back plane for the space telescope has completed load testing. The back plane secures the observatory’s science instruments and primary mirror. Northrop Grumman Corp. and ATK of Magna, Utah, completed the testing before delivering the structure to Northrop Grumman’s facilities in Redondo Beach, Calif., for further development. NASA’s designated successor to the Hubble Space Telescope is expected to launch in late 2018.
Confirmed: Voyager 1 in interstellar space
Space.com (7/8): Launched in 1977 Voyager 1 crossed the distant boundary into interstellar space in August 2012, according to new assessments based on interference from solar eruptions.
Curiosity celebrates one Martian year on Mars, roves outside of landing ellipse
AmericaSpace.com (7/9): A look at Curiosity’s travels and exploration after one Martian year in the red planet’s Gale Crater. Curiosity’s dramatic arrival unfolded on Aug. 6, 2012.
In effort to shift abandoned NASA craft, a hiccup (or burp)
New York Times (7/8): Veteran spaceflight volunteers strive to reinstate control over three decade old NASA solar observatory. More efforts to restore control with remote commands to the ISEE-3 spacecraft are planned for Wednesday.
Spaceweather.com (7/8): Sun unleashes major flare from unexpected source on Tuesday.
Comet makes spectacular galactic flyby (video)
Space.com (7/8): NASA’s NEOWISE spacecraft spots the comet Pan-STARRS.
Big Dipper hot spot may help solve 100-year-old cosmic ray mystery
Space.com (7/8): Astronomers track powerful cosmic ray source to Big Dipper constellation. The latest clues may help in the search for the origin, black hole, a gamma ray burst, colliding galaxies, perhaps another source.
Low Earth Orbit
What spaceflight planning can teach us on Earth
Aviation Week & Space Technology (7/8): Six person International Space Station crew welcomes NASA’s Veggie experiment, a red romaine lettuce growth chamber.
Commercial to Low Earth Orbit
ULA asks court to dismiss SpaceX’s block-buy protest
Space News (7/8): United Launch Alliance joins the U.S. Air Force in asking a U.S. federal court to drop SpaceX lawsuit challenging U.S.A.F. contract award to ULA for $11 billion in rocket hardware for U.S. national security missions.
Space Florida: Cape risks irrelevance
Florida Today (7/8): Space Florida CEO Frank DiBello urges state leaders to seize commercial space opportunities. DiBello cautions that SpaceX is close receiving approval to develop a commercial launch complex in South Texas.
Soyuz rocket sends up Russian weather satellite
Spaceflightnow.com (7/8): Soyuz launcher places Russian weather satellite into orbit on Tuesday.
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