To subscribe to CSExtra via RSS feed click here.
If you would prefer to receive CSExtra in e-mail format, e-mail us at Info@space.com with the word SUBSCRIBE in the subject line.
Now on orbit – the Coalition for Space Exploration’s latest Think Outside the Circle PSA. Benefits of space surround us. Learn more about how technologies we develop to explore space keep us closer and safer on Earth. Click here to watch the PSA and get free downloads.
Friday’s CSExtra offers a collection of the latest reporting and commentary on space related activities from around the world. In Washington, NASA’s Inspector General reports that Administrator Charles Bolden and his staff acted without political influence in their choice of display venues for the retired shuttle orbiters. The decision remains controversial in Texas and Ohio. The U. S. and Russia continue their response to the loss this week of a Russian Progress cargo carrier during the launch phase of a mission to the International Space Station. A Japanese space probe offers evidence that many of the meteorites that strike the Earth came from a single ancient galactic source. Scientists find a distant planet made of diamond. A look at New Mexico, host to much of the nation’s space history and perhaps its future.
1. From the Los Angeles Times: In a special report, NASA’s Inspector General Paul K. Martin concludes that NASA Administrator Charles Bolden and his staff acted properly in their choice of display venues for the retired orbiters, Discovery, Endeavour, Atlantis and the test flight article Enterprise. Bolden announced the winning Washington D. C., Los Angeles, New York City and Central Florida venues on April 12.
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/nationnow/2011/08/nasa-report-no-improper-political-influence-in-shuttle-decison.html
A. From the Dayton Daily News of Ohio: Dayton’s National Museum of the U. S Air Force was a strong contender to house a retired shuttle orbiter, according to NASA’s Inspector General. But an error in the internal scoring of potential sites lowered its prospects. The error would not have changed his final choices, NASA Administrator Charles Bolden tells auditors.
http://www.daytondailynews.com/news/dayton-news/report-air-force-museum-tied-winning-cities-to-receive-retired-shuttles-1238597.html
B. From the Houston Chronicle: In late 2009, Houston was in NASA’s internal running for the display of orbiter Atlantis, but NASA Administrator Charles Bolden determined that connections to the shuttle program and NASA should not be factors in the choice of locations. Some Houston leaders believe the city was deliberately snubbed.
http://www.chron.com/news/nation-world/article/Report-NASA-chief-behind-Houston-shuttle-snub-2141838.php
C. From the Associated Press via the Wall Street Journal: Houston, one of the city’s stung by NASA decision ranked low among the competitors seeking a shuttle orbiter for display. Other cities had higher attendance at their museums and better plans to transport one of the shuttle orbiters to their display venues, NASA’s Inspector General determined.
http://online.wsj.com/article/APeec039ffa3b94207894815306ea8c8b1.html?KEYWORDS=NASA
2. From Space.com: The launch failure on Wednesday of a Russian Progress supply capsule headed for the International Space Station underscores a need for the U. S. to develop a space shuttle replacement, according to a range of experts.
http://www.exploredeepspace.com/12730-nasa-russia-rocket-failures-united-states-worry.html
A. From Florida Today: Several lawmakers say the loss of the Russian Progress should hasten efforts by NASA to develop U. S. spacecraft to replace the retired space shuttle fleet. But they differ on whether funding should be spent on NASA or commercially developed spacecraft.
http://www.floridatoday.com/article/20110826/NEWS02/108260322/We-need-heavy-lift-rocket-details-now-lawmakers-tell-NASA
B. From Spaceflightnow.com: Orbital Sciences’ Cygnus cargo capsule arrives at the Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia, where it will undergo preparations for a 2012 test flight. Orbital is one of two U. S. companies preparing to launch supplies to the International Space Station. The other company is SpaceX.
http://www.spaceflightnow.com/news/n1108/25cygnus/
C. From the Associated Press via the Washington Post: Helicopter born Russian recovery teams search portions of Siberia for signs of the crashed Progress 44 cargo capsule that slammed back to Earth following a lift off on Wednesday. The Progress was headed to the International Space Station. The crash threatens to alter the launch and return of astronauts to and from the space station, while experts determine the root cause of the loss and develop a recovery plan.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/russia-using-helicopters-in-search-for-crashed-spaceship-in-siberian-forest/2011/08/25/gIQAPGvSdJ_story.html
D. From Interfax.com of Russia: Russian space experts place the cost of the lost Progress 44 mission at $100 million.
http://www.interfax.com/newsinf.asp?pg=3&id=268544
3. From the Los Angeles Times: Many of the meteorites that have struck the Earth may have come from a single source, studies of the dust recovered from the asteroid Itokawa suggest. The dust samples were gathered by the Japanese space probe Hayabusa, which was launched in 2003. After overcoming a range of difficulties, Hayabusa gathered the dust grain samples and returned to Earth in 2010, landing in southern Australia. The grains hold clues to what our solar system was like when it formed billions of years ago, say scientists.
http://www.latimes.com/news/science/la-sci-asteroid-meteorites-20110826,0,4632492.story
4. From Sky and Telescope Magazine: Astronomers discover an exo-planet made of diamond. Located 4,000 light years away, the unusual object likely formed when the pulsar in a binary star system stripped away the exterior of its companion.
http://www.skyandtelescope.com/news/128402533.html
5. From USAToday: Touring New Mexico’s rich space heritage. A list of USA Today sites to visits includes early rocket complex, astronaut training facilities, a budding commercial launch complex and what some claim was a remote alien crash site.
http://travel.usatoday.com/destinations/story/2011-08-25/Along-New-Mexicos-Space-Trail-The-final-frontier/50139030/1
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.