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Monday’s CSExtra offers reports on the planning under way at NASA to overcome a cooling system problem on the International Space Station as well as recent commentary on current legislative activities influencing NASA’s future. Multiple spacewalks by two NASA astronauts are in the works for the replacement of an external cooling pump; the first could come as soon as Thursday. Plus, recent commentary on how backers of a larger role for commercial space transportation providers are faring in Congress.
1. From Spaceflightnow.com: Preparations begin for multiple spacewalks aboard the International Space Station later this week to deal with a cooling system malfunction that occurred late Saturday. The first outing by astronauts Doug Wheelock and Tracy Caldwell Dyson could be Thursday.
http://www.spaceflightnow.com/news/n1007/31station/
A. From The New York Times: Astronauts Doug Wheelock and Tracy Caldwell Dyson have trained for spacewalk duties together, but not for the specific task of replacing a failed cooling system pump module.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/02/science/space/02shuttle.html?_r=1&scp=2&sq=NASA&st=cse
B. From Florida Today: The spacewalk task will involve disconnecting and re-connecting ammonia fluid lines, which can be hazardous. http://www.floridatoday.com/article/20100802/NEWS02/8020315/ISS+cooling+system+fails
2. From Florida Today: In an editorial on Sunday, the newspaper endorses the Senate version of a NASA authorization bill. The measure emphasizes a NASA deep space exploration capability with a new heavy lift rocket and an Orion-like crew capsule. It also funds commercial space transportation development at a level greater than the House version, but less than the White House 2011 budget request.
http://www.floridatoday.com/article/20100801/BREAKINGNEWS/308010001/1006/news01/Our+views++Senate+plan+offers+better+roadmap+in+crafting+NASA%E2%80%99s+future
A. From Space News: A look at the status of commercial space in the current legislative process, as described by participants in the Space Frontier Foundation’s annual conference, July 23-25. Congressional deliberations over the role of commercial space transportation companies has slowed but not stalled the momentum for the emergence of new service providers, according to this report from July 30.
http://www.spacenews.com/policy/100730-advocates-legislative-setback-commercial-space.html
B. From Spacepolicyonline.com: Events of interest this week on the space policy front. The House is in recess until mid-September. The Senate is in session this week, then in recess for five weeks.
http://www.spacepolicyonline.com/pages/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1053:events-of-interest-week-of-august-2-6-2010&catid=67:news&Itemid=27
3. From the Boston Globe: MIT physicist Samuel Ting has succeeded in bringing “big science” to the International Space Station in the form of the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer, an external observatory that will search for and study particles produced by the Big Bang. The AMS will ride to the station aboard the final NASA shuttle mission. The $2 billion project has the backing of 16 nations, and 600 scientists.
http://www.boston.com/news/education/higher/articles/2010/08/02/brainchild_of_mit_scientist_is_bound_for_space_shuttle/
4. From USA Today: Sally Ride, America’s first woman in space, inspires young women to achieve and explore.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2010-08-02-SallyRide02_ST_N.htm
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