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Wednesday’s CSExtra offers a roundup of the latest reporting and commentary on space related activities from across the globe. Two commentaries, posted on the eve of the Iowa caucus, offer assessments of where the presidential candidates stand on space policy — though the topic has not surfaced as a major campaign issue — and why human space flight is an important consideration. The U. S. human spaceflight program enters 2012 relying perhaps too heavily on Russia’s troubled space program, according to one report. NASA’s Orion/Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle stars in a series of successful parachute drop tests. Prospective passengers line up for suborbital missions aboard Virgin Galactic. A NASA probe halts the sale of an Apollo 13 check list. Caretakers turn to GPS technology for their Alzheimer patients. A preview of coming meteor showers. First images of the Earth from space.
1. Two commentaries from The Space Review of Tuesday assess the Republican candidates on space as well as the national security implications of U. S. leadership in human space flight.
A. In “Where the Candidates Stand on Space in 2012,” TSR editor Jeff Foust breaks down the positions of the GOP’s seven avowed presidential candidates on space. None responded to a TSR questionnaire, requiring the author to make the most of their rare public comments on the topic. Newt Gingrich, who has past ties the National Space Society, has been the most vocal, yet the most critical of NASA. http://bit.ly/zmdh65
B. In “An enduring value proposition for NASA human spaceflight,” aerospace consultant Mary Lynne Dittmar offers the fifth segment in her assessment of a proper underpinning for U. S. human space flight. Her answer, national security and its implications for U. S. standing on the global stage, has been challenged by the transition from government to commercially managed programs and other factors. Dittmar argues for a new White House cabinet level National Space Council to nurture the enterprise. http://bit.ly/zLYVxZ
2. From the Houston Chronicle: A pessimistic look ahead at NASA’s human space flight program, based on an assortment of external assessments. The bottom line: The U. S. must depend on a troubled Russian space program for access to the International Space Station for at least five years. http://bit.ly/whseac
A. From the Air & Space Magazine, and Once and Future Moon: A glum look at where NASA stands as 2012 begins served as one basis for the Chronicle’s bottom line. The author, noted lunar scientist Paul Spudis, finds the space agency lacking a clear mission as it turned 50 in 2011. http://bit.ly/zH9DOG
3. From Space.com: A key part of NASA’s Orion/Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle undergoes desert testing. The parachute recovery system is designed to bring future human deep space missions to a safe conclusion. http://bit.ly/y1mK1w
4. From The New York Times: Virgin Galactic closes in on its goal of offering personal suborbital spaceflights, perhaps by the end of this year or early 2013. Travel agents and insurers are not far behind as prospective passengers round up the $200,000 to buy a seat. http://nyti.ms/y6dghJ
5. From Collectspace.com: A NASA investigation into the auction of an Apollo 13 mission check list in Dallas halts a near $400,000 sale. The space agency is checking proof of ownership. http://bit.ly/xCiOrD
6. From Discovery.com: An estimated 5.3 million Americans have been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, whose symptoms include loss of memory and a tendency to wander off. Shoes outfitted with Global Positioning System tracking technology are helping caretakers keep track of their patients. http://bit.ly/wOEoML
7. From Space.com: The year’s first significant meteor shower, the Quadrantids, peaked overnight. But there is more to come. The website offers a primer on when and what to look for in the year ahead. http://bit.ly/yek6Jp
8. From the Washington Post: Images of the Earth from space have become common place. But that was not always the case. A Post writer finds evidence for the first full disk image of the Earth. Its source was a Russian communications satellite in 1966. http://wapo.st/yrmJHH
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