Friday’s CSExtra includes reports of a new space policy statement coming soon from the Obama Administration. The new policy, reported to seek greater international cooperation in the space security and arms control arenas, would replace a 2006 version developed during the Bush Administration. A hint that China may be invited to join the International Space Station partnership. Findings from scientists that suggest Mars and Venus once had abundances of water. In Florida, shuttle workers come to terms with looming lay offs.
1. From Space News: In a commentary, the Union of Concerned Scientists looks at the Obama Administration’s forthcoming space policy declaration, finding it likely to be more international in its approach with a more balanced view of civil, commercial and military uses of space; more openness to arms control and more cooperative in seeking solutions to space security. The policy statement will replace one from the Bush Administration in 2006 that was more isolationist in its outlook.
http://www.spacenews.com/commentaries/100623-thewires-forthcoming-space-policy-cooperation.html
A. From Spacepolicyonline.com: The Obama space policy should be announced soon.
http://www.spacepolicyonline.com/pages/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=993:new-national-space-policy-ready-qsoonq-says-donley&catid=75:news&Itemid=68
B. From NASA Watch: A report from Russia that China has been asked to join the International Space Station partnership. http://nasawatch.com/archives/2010/06/has-china-been.html
2. From Spaceflightnow.com and Space.com: New findings suggest water was once widespread on Mars and Venus.
A. Evidence for past surface water in Mar’s northern as well as southern hemisphere is based on mineral evidence gathered by NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and the European Space Agency’s Mars Express spacecraft.
http://www.spaceflightnow.com/news/n1006/24marswater/
B. Evidence for water on a young Venus is found in the planet’s atmosphere by the European Space Agency’s Venus Express spacecraft.
http://www.exploredeepspace.com/scienceastronomy/venus-oceans-habitable-life-100624.html
3. From Florida Today: The newspaper attends a job fair for NASA shuttle program workers who face lay offs as the program retires. “They kind of know the end is coming,” said one of the estimated 2,000 to 3,000 people who attended. “It’s something you have no control over, so you accept it.”
http://www.floridatoday.com/article/20100625/BUSINESS/6250312/1006/news01/Space+workers+face+daunting+job
A. Also from Florida Today: The Task Force on Space Industry Workforce and Economic Development establishes a web site for public comments on new job creation strategies. As many as 23,000 could loose their jobs in the Central Florida region as NASA retires the shuttle program, the newspaper reports.
http://flametrench.flatoday.net/
4. From the Japan Times: Scientists detect a vapor in the capsule returned to Earth by the Hayabusa spacecraft that descended into Australia earlier this month. The gas may contain particles from the asteroid.
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20100625a4.html
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.
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.