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Friday’s CSExtra offers the latest reporting and commentary on space-related activities from across the nation. At the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, NASA is preparing to launch the final space shuttle mission at 11:26 a.m. EDT. The weather outlook is stormy. The 12-day flight remains a focus of debate about the future of human spaceflight in the United States. Sierra Nevada signs an agreement with NASA to process the Dream Chaser at the Kennedy Space Center. Plans to cut NASA’s 2012 budget, including a cancellation of the troubled James Webb Space Telescope, draw fire.
1. From Spaceflightnow.com: Overnight, the weather forecast for the launching of shuttle Atlantis from the Kennedy Space Center remains stormy for a scheduled lift off at 11:26 a.m., EDT, but trends show an improvement. The four Atlantis astronauts were to board their spacecraft after sunrise. The website offers frequent updates, and a web cast hosted by Miles O’Brien from Kennedy begins at 6:30 a.m., EDT.
http://www.spaceflightnow.com.
A. From the Washington Post: The opportunity to witness the last NASA space shuttle mission launch draws thousands to Central Florida, from young astronaut aspirants to retirees. Many sleep in their cars, camp out just inland of Cape Canaveral.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/stars-in-their-eyes-fans-gather-for-last-shuttle-launch/2011/07/07/gIQAbX6p2H_story.html.
B. From the Houston Chronicle: Astronauts, past and present, are among those flocking to Florida to witness the shuttle program’s 135th and final mission.
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/nation/7644167.html
C. From Space.com: Twitter enthusiasts gather at the Kennedy Space Center for the Atlantis launch.
http://www.exploredeepspace.com/12203-nasa-final-shuttle-launch-sts135-tweetup.html
D. From the Houston Chronicle: Robert Crippen, pilot of the first shuttle mission and later a NASA manager, recalls the excitement of the 1981 inaugural mission. The program’s record has been “phenomenal,” said Crippen.
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/space/7643968.html
E. From the Washington Post: Threat of rain around Cape Canaveral is greatest between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., EDT.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/capital-weather-gang/post/rainy-weather-likely-to-delay-nasas-atlantis-shuttle-launch-friday/2011/07/07/gIQAP8B51H_blog.html
F. From the Orlando Sentinel: Storms Thursday unleash lightning that strikes close to the shuttle’s launch pad. Engineers convene to address concerns of damage.
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/space/2011/07/lighting-strike-near-space-shuttle-atlantis-unnerves-nasa.html
2. From Politico: In an op-ed, White House Science Advisor John Holdren and NASA Administrator Charles Bolden make the case that –misinformation aside — the nation’s human space flight program is headed for an ambitious future.
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0711/58469.html
A. From the Coalition for Space Exploration: NASA officials preview the four person Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle as a centerpiece for future human exploration. The MPCV, also known as Orion, will be developed to carry human explorers on missions to destinations beyond low Earth orbit.
http://www.exploredeepspace.com/blog/orion-multi-purpose-crew-vehicle-to-enter-extensive-test-period
B. From the Houston Chronicle: A skeptical assessment of NASA’s commitment to human space flight once the space shuttle program retires.
http://blog.chron.com/sciguy/2011/07/are-you-buying-nasas-happy-talk-on-the-future-of-human-spaceflight/
C. From CNBC: The retirement of NASA’s shuttle program spells economic turmoil along Florida’s Space Coast.
http://www.cnbc.com/id/43676897
D. From the New York Times: Along Florida’s Space Coast, the talk among the region’s small business owners is all the same: Stay, or go? “We just don’t want to give people the impression we are giving up on the space program,” says one longtime shop owner.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/08/us/08shuttle.html?_r=1&scp=2&sq=NASA&st=cse
E. From the Associated Press: Correspondent Marcia Dunn circles back on her 20 years of writing about the space shuttle.
http://www.ajc.com/news/nation-world/one-reporters-look-back-1003865.html
3. From Florida Today: Sierra Nevada’s Dream Chaser will be based at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, the space agency and the Colorado-based aerospace company announce Thursday.
http://space.flatoday.net/2011/07/us-commercial-space-taxi-coming-to-ksc.html
4. From the Baltimore Sun: Maryland lawmakers speak out against plans by House appropriators to cut NASA’s budget, including the cancellation of the James Webb Space Telescope. The House Appropriations subcommittee with NASA jurisdiction unveiled the plan earlier this week. The James Webb, under development to succeed the Hubble Space Telescope, is $1.5 billion over budget and facing a launch delay until 2018 at the soonest.
http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/news/local/politics/2011/07/lawmakers_resist_telescope_cut.html
A. From The Hill: Congress must give priority to programs with great national reach, according to House Appropriations Committee Chairman Hal Rogers
http://thehill.com/blogs/hillicon-valley/technology/170211-panel-votes-to-cut-space-telescope
B. From Scientific American magazine: Problems with the James Webb Space Telescope are common among “big science” endeavors.
http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/post.cfm?id=threat-of-james-webb-space-telescop-2011-07-07
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.