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Friday’s CSExtra offers the latest reporting and commentary on space related activities from around the world. Russia appears likely to join the European Space Agency and NASA as a partner in a financially challenged 2016 Mars mission. NASA auditors urge tighter controls over the loan of Apollo moon rocks, rare meteorites and other irreplaceable astromaterials. The International Space Station is poised to return to sustained six person operations following the loss of a Russian Soyuz launcher on a re-supply mission earlier this year. Virginia lawmakers contemplate a tax break for space burials. Astronomers urge Congress to fund further production of Plutonium 238 as a power source for future deep space missions. More on Saturday’s lunar eclipse.
1. From Space News: The U. S., European and Russian space agencies move close to a cooperative agreement on future Mars exploration in talks Thursday. A formal agreement would lead to Russia’s contribution of a Proton rocket launch for a joint European/U. S. mission in 2016 called ExoMars that has been jeopardized by NASA funding issues. The 2016 launch is considered a prelude to a 2018 mission with a joint NASA/European Mars rover. At the moment, even NASA’s participation in the 2018 mission appears uncertain.
http://bit.ly/rHd1dO
2. From Spacepolicyonline.com: NASA’s inspector general finds lapses in NASA’s curation of moon rocks, rare meteorites and other astromaterials. Dozens of samples loaned to scientists cannot be accounted for.
http://bit.ly/rYHCtQ
A. From USA Today: More than 500 samples of lunar rock, meteorites and comet particles have been recorded as missing at some point since 1970, NASA’s inspector general reports.
http://usat.ly/uJb26X
3. From Spaceflightnow.com: The International Space Station is set to resume six person operations by month’s end. Normal operations were disrupted in response to a late August Soyuz rocket failure. American Don Pettit, Andre Kuipers of the Netherlands and Oleg Kononenko of Russia arrived at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan this week to prepare for a Dec. 21 lift off.
http://bit.ly/vtVgCP
4. From the Hampton Roads Virginia Pilot: A Virginia legislative bill would offer a tax break — up to $8,000 — to those who arrange to have the remains of loved ones launched into space.
http://bit.ly/veAAjN
5. From spacepolitics.com: The American Astronomical Society pushes Congress for funding to resume production of Plutonium 238, the radioactive material that powers NASA deep space missions.
http://bit.ly/v5YRFp
6. From Space.com: Saturday’s lunar eclipse will include unusual solar effects — in some regions the eclipsed moon and the sun will be visible at the same time, a phenomena known as “selenelion.” The best viewing will be in Hawaii, Alaska, Northwest Canada, Australia, New Zealand and East Asia.
http://bit.ly/rOgV5L
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