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Tuesday’s CSExtra offers the latest reporting and commentary on space-related activities from around the globe: In Florida and California, NASA prepares to launch two very different spacecraft, shuttle Discovery’s final mission and the climate research mission Glory. In Russia, some are concerned the government is no longer enthusiastic about the power of space exploration to spur innovation. In Arizona, scientists consider the origins of life. In Florida, state lawmakers consider new tax incentives to draw commercial space companies. A traveling space station. Finally, some thoughts on solar activity, reusable spacecraft and the U.S. budget on European space initiatives.
1. From Florida Today: NASA starts shuttle Discovery’s countdown on Monday. Forecasters offer an 80 percent chance of favorable weather for a launching from the Kennedy Space Center on Thursday at 4:50 p.m., EST.
http://www.floridatoday.com/article/20110222/NEWS02/102220319/Discovery-counts-down-toward-launch?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|Home
A. From Spaceflightnow.com: A five-part, 5,500 words preview of shuttle Discovery’s 39th and final flight.
http://www.spaceflightnow.com/shuttle/sts133/110221preview/index.html
B. From Space.Com: Shuttle Discovery carries a proud name.
http://www.exploredeepspace.com/10908-space-shuttle-discovery-names-origin.html
C. From the Associated Press via USAToday: NASA prepares to launch the Earth science mission Glory before dawn Wednesday from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. Glory will analyze tiny particles from volcanoes, forest fires, smokestacks and tailpipes called aerosols and their influence on the Earth’s climate.
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/science/space/2011-02-21-glory-satellite_N.htm
2. From the Moscow News: One Russian scientist, long familiar with space medical issues, worries that his country no longer considers the final frontier a place for innovation. These days, Russia’s leadership appears more interested in the promise of an innovation center to produce Silicon Valley style commercial successes than it does the challenge of supporting life in space. Some who share the concern are hoping that celebrations this year to mark the 50th anniversary of Yuri Gagarin’s first human space flight will bring the focus back.
http://themoscownews.com/business/20110221/188434252.html?referfrommn
3. From the New York Times: Scientists gather in Arizona to ponder the origins of life. Current theories range from warm springs on the Earth to a much wetter Mars, the ocean beneath the ice covered Jovian moon Europa and the methane lakes of Saturn’s moon, Titan. Somewhere, the chemistry was just right.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/22/science/22origins.html
4. From the Orlando Sentinel: State lawmakers consider new tax incentives to attract the commercial space development companies that could bring jobs for those facing the loss of employment as NASA’s shuttle program retires later this year. One lawmaker says Florida has been left behind in the establishment of tax credits and other incentives.
http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/news_politics/2011/02/can-tax-credits-entice-space-related-businesses-to-florida.html
5. From The Coalition for Space Exploration: In Vienna, the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space gathers to discuss how the uses of space can improve life around the world. The growing threat to spacecraft from growing levels of space debris is a common concern. http://www.exploredeepspace.com/blog/space-solutions-can-improve-the-lives-of-people-worldwide
6. From Discovery.com: At NASA, advanced planners come up with a version of the International Space Station that could carry astronauts into the solar system. http://news.discovery.com/space/launching-a-space-station-to-other-worlds.html
7. Three from The Space Review:
A. In “Taking the initiative: SLI and the next generation,” Alabama science historian Stuart Money examines the future of spacecraft re-usability. Money is heartened by the Air Force X-37B, the SpaceX Dragon capsule and a collection of emerging reusable commercial human spacecraft. It’s time for the rocket boosters to catch up, Money writes.
http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1784/1
B. In “When the sun sneezes,” TSR editor Jeff Foust notes that a major solar flare last week is raising a timely awareness of the Earth’s vulnerability to the sun’s eruptions. Solar activity is on the increase. Similar solar releases pose a threat to a culture that has become increasingly dependent on electronics for communication and navigation. Improving our ability to predict destructive solar activity has never been more crucial, Foust writes.
http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1783/1
C. In “The Case for International Cooperation in Space Exploration,” contributor Louis Friedman notes the White House 2012 budget proposal may have implications for space exploration around the globe. Europe is currently pondering its next major space initiative, a program that would likely not unfold until the 2020s. Nonetheless, the European Space Agency will have to look to partnerships with the United States and Japan for some of the finances. The kinds of projects that could be affected include a Jupiter mission, an advanced X-ray telescope as well as a gravity wave investigation.
http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1782/1
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