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Thursday’s CSExtra offers the latest reporting on space-related activities from around the world. At the International Space Station, the Endeavour astronauts move the $2 billion Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer from the shuttle’s cargo bay to a perch on the orbiting science laboratory early Thursday. Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, wife of Endeavour commander Mark Kelly, fares well after brain surgery. NASA mission managers assess possible heat shield damage to Endeavour. Astronomers find evidence for large numbers of homeless planets. In Washington, lawmakers grow restless over NASA’s post-shuttle era plans.
1. From Spaceflightnow.com: The Endeavour astronauts attach their primary payload, the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer, to the International Space Station. The transfer of the $2 billion science experiment took place early Thursday. On Wednesday, the shuttle crew moved another major payload to the station, the Express Logistics Carrier-3 with spare parts for the orbital outpost. For the latest,
http://www.spaceflightnow.com
A. From Florida Today: NASA Mission Managers evaluate heat shield tile damage to the underside of shuttle Endeavour’s right wing. Three “areas of interest” were detected with photography taken during Endeavour’s docking with the International Space Station on Wednesday. The astronauts could be asked to examine the area more closely on Saturday.
http://space.flatoday.net/2011/05/nasa-zeroes-in-on-three-damaged-tiles.html
B. From the Houston Chronicle: Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, the wife of Endeavour commander Mark Kelly, undergoes anticipated surgery in Houston on Thursday, as part of her recovery from a head wound received during a shooting spree at a Tucson political rally earlier this year. The cranioplasty procedure went well, according to medical personnel.
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/7570531.html
C. From NASAwatch.com/On Orbit alpha.com: Endeavour up close and personal in photos from the International Space Station as the shuttle docked for the final time on Wednesday.
http://www.onorbit.com/node/3348
2. From the New York Times: A study led by researchers from Japan, New Zealand, Poland and Chile suggests the universe is littered by billions of Jupiter-class planets that no longer orbit their host stars, or circle in very distant orbits. Wandering planets could be more plentiful than stars.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/19/science/space/19planets.html?_r=2&ref=science
3. From Spacepolicyonline.com: Republic and Democratic leadership on the Senate, Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee write NASA Administrator Charles Bolden, expressing their concerns the agency is not following the 2010 NASA Authorization Act, which was signed into law in October. In part, the law guides development of a heavy lift rocket and crew capsule for future human deep space missions, while fostering the development of commercial space transportation services for travel by astronauts to Earth orbit. The bi-partisan group seeks closer scrutiny of NASA’s decision making.
http://www.spacepolicyonline.com/pages/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1574:key-senators-send-bipartisan-letter-criticizing-nasa-implementation-of-law&catid=67:news&Itemid=27
A. From the National Journal: During a hearing on Wednesday, members of the Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Science and Space claim NASA is moving too slowly to define the agency’s post-shuttle future.
http://www.nationaljournal.com/tech/as-shuttle-program-winds-down-uncertainty-looms-for-nasa-20110518
4. From Spacepolitics.com: Commercial space advocates urge lawmakers to support commercial space transportation investments by NASA. The initiative that NASA is counting on to move astronauts to and from the space station in the post-shuttle era could be vulnerable to 2012 budget cuts.
http://www.spacepolitics.com/2011/05/18/commercial-space-advocates-sound-the-alert/
5. From Discovery.com: Digital Globe’s earth observing satellite captures a high altitude picture of shuttle Atlantis, as the spacecraft moves from the Orbiter Processing Facility to the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. Atlantis will fly the final space shuttle mission in July.
http://news.discovery.com/space/big-pic-satellite-spies-shuttle-atlantis-rollover-110518.html
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