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Friday’s CSExtra offers the latest reporting and commentary on space related activities from around the world. Two California senators would reverse the course NASA is on to develop a new heavy lift rocket for the human exploration of deep space. The Endeavour astronauts, who ended their 16 day mission early Wednesday in Florida, receive a warm welcome from NASA co-workers as they return to Houston. NASA emerges as the strongest link in a flawed partnership to develop a new generation of weather satellites. Underground worms raise prospects for extraterrestrial life. A half-century of NASA art goes on display in Washington. Prize winning astronomers shed light on dark matter. NASA cameras capture a Georgia meteor flash.
1. From Space News: California’s U. S. Senators, Diane Feinstein and Barbara Boxer, call on NASA to re-bid the contracts for a future Space Launch System, the propulsive elements of a spacecraft for human missions to planetary destinations. The 2010 NASA Authorization Act calls on NASA to use existing contracts and hardware where possible from the Constellation and space shuttle programs. The SLS will replace the Ares V and Ares I rockets, which were part of the terminated Constellation program. Combined with the Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle, the SLS is to launch astronauts on future exploratory missions.
http://www.spacenews.com/civil/110602-senators-competitive-heavy-lift-procurement.html
A. From the Huntsville Times: Two veteran aerospace companies, Teledyne Brown and Aerojet partner to seek rocket engine work for future NASA missions. The arrangement could bring new jobs to the Huntsville, Ala. area.
http://blog.al.com/huntsville-times-business/2011/06/teledyne_brown_aerojet_form_st.html
2. From The Houston Chronicle: Endeavour’s astronauts receive a warm welcome Thursday as they return to Houston and the Johnson Space Center. The six fliers ended their 16-day mission to the International Space Station early Wednesday with a landing at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/7592543.html
A. From the Associated Press and Yahoo.com: Endeavour Commander Mark Kelly reunites with his wife, Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords at the Texas Medical Center in Houston. Giffords is recovering from a gunshot would received in January at a Tucson political rally.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110603/ap_on_sc/us_space_shuttle_crew
3. From Spacepolicyonline.com: NASA’s Inspector General finds that NASA acted responsibly in efforts to jointly develop a new generation of weather satellites. The effort fell behind schedule and over budget because of poor management by NASA’s partners, the Department of Defense and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the IG concludes. http://www.spacepolicyonline.com/pages/
4. From New Scientist: Scientists find multi-cellular life forms in hostile deep underground environments. The recently discovered “worms from hell,” increase prospects for discovery of extra-terrestrial life, experts claim.
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn20534-goldmine-worm-shows-animals-could-be-living-on-mars.html
5. From The Washington Post: NASA as art. At the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, visitors can see NASA and its missions through the eyes of some of the nation’s most imaginative artists.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/gog/exhibits/nasa-art-50-years-of-exploration,1208989/critic-review.html
6. From Space.com: Four astronomers share a half million dollar prize for their work on dark matter.
http://www.exploredeepspace.com/11851-dark-matter-astronomers-gruber-prize.html
7. From Space.com: NASA cameras capture the flash of a meteor over Georgia on May 20.
http://www.exploredeepspace.com/11852-nasa-meteor-fireball-comet-video-georgia.html
Brought to you by the Coalition for Space Exploration, CSExtra is a daily compilation of space industry news selected from hundreds of online media resources. The Coalition is not the author or reporter of any of the stories appearing in CSExtra and does not control and is not responsible for the content of any of these stories. The content available through CSExtra contains links to other websites and domains which are wholly independent of the Coalition, and the Coalition makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy, completeness or authenticity of the information contained in any such site or domain and does not pre-screen or approve any content. The Coalition does not endorse or receive any type of compensation from the included media outlets and is not responsible or liable in any way for any content of CSExtra or for any loss, damage or injury incurred as a result of any content appearing in CSExtra. For information on the Coalition, visit www.space.com or contact us via e-mail at Info@space.com.