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Monday’s CSExtra offers a roundup of the latest reporting and commentary on space-related developments from the weekend as well as the start of the new work week. Discovery’s crew departs the International Space Station on Monday after a nine-day stay. The six astronauts are due back on Earth Wednesday, marking the conclusion of Discovery’s 27 year career. A scientist from NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center offers new claims of bacteria-like structures in meteorites dating back four billion years. The Senate Appropriations Committee proposes a 2011 spending bill that appears to eliminate the NASA space technology investments sought by the White House. During House budget hearings, lawmakers question Administration investments in commercial space transportation systems. Budget pressures are likely to edge out a Mars soil sample return mission. A new NASA spin off is easing the pain experienced by cancer patients from chemo and radiation therapy. The Air Force X-37B launches on its second mission. More on NASA’s Glory mission loss. A look at major space policy events in the week ahead.
1. From Florida Today, March 7: Shuttle Discovery’s astronauts prepare to end their 13th and final voyage to the International Space Station, with wake up music from the Star Trek television series. The departure is set for 7 a.m., EST, Discovery’s 39th and final flight is to end with a landing at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center on Wednesday at 11:58 a.m., EST.
http://space.flatoday.net/2011/03/departure-day-discovery-set-to-head.html
A. From Space.com, March 6: Daily wake up music is a tradition on NASA’s shuttle flights. NASA celebrates the tradition on March 7 and 8, the final days of Discovery’s last mission with songs selected by the public.
http://www.exploredeepspace.com/11029-space-music-astronauts-wakeup-songs.html
B. From the Houston Chronicle, March 4: During a news conference from the International Space Station, the crew of shuttle Discovery discusses their storied orbiters’ final mission and stellar performance.
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/nation/7456908.html
C. From Spaceflightnow.com, March 6: Robonaut 2, delivered to the International Space Station aboard Discovery, will be unpacked this month. Testing will begin slowly, as Robonaut’s ability to carry out dexterous tasks is evaluated.
http://www.spaceflightnow.com/shuttle/sts133/110306robonaut/
D. From Florida Today, March 5: The Shelton family of North Texas continues a NASA tradition it began in the aftermath of the 1986 Challenger tragedy. With each mission, the Shelton’s send roses to NASA’s Mission Control in Houston.
http://space.flatoday.net/2011/03/flowers-continue-mission-control.html
2. From the New York Times and Journal of Cosmology, March 6: Astrobiologist Richard Hoover, of NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, makes the case for micro fossils of indigenous cyanobacteria in a rare form of meteorite. The claim, which is under wide peer review, raises questions about the distribution of life in the universe.
http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/03/05/nasa-scientist-sees-signs-of-life-in-meteorites/?scp=2&sq=NASA&st=cse
A. From MSMBC.com, March 5: The claim quickly goes viral on the Internet. The meteorites are thought to date back 4 billion years.
http://cosmiclog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/03/07/6207911-meteorite-mysteries-go-viral
B. From Discovery.com, March 5: Some of the meteorite “bacteria threads” are similar to terrestrial bacteria, said Hoover. But others are not.
http://news.discovery.com/space/has-evidence-of-extraterrestrial-life-been-found-110305.html
3. From Spacepolitics.com, March 5: The Senate Appropriations Committee on March 4 proposes a 2011 budget Continuing Resolution that would fund the federal government through Sept. 30. The measure, an alternative to the House version, H. R. 1, proposes $18.53 billion for NASA. The White House asked Congress for $19 billion for 2011. However, the Senate version represents $412 million more for NASA than H. R. 1. It appears the Senate version strips out the space technology investments sought by President Obama.
http://www.spacepolitics.com/2011/03/05/senate-proposes-18-5b-cr-for-nasa-takes-aim-at-space-technology/
A. From The Hill, March 5: NASA faces bi-partisan criticism from the House Science, Space and Technology Committee over the agency’s proposed 2012 budget. The spending plan invests too much on commercial space transportation and not enough on a NASA replacements for the shuttle, say committee members.
http://thehill.com/blogs/hillicon-valley/technology/147665-lawmakers-questions-nasas-budget-proposal
B. From Space News, March 4: In presentations to a NASA Advisory Council subcommittee, space agency officials say budget pressures will prevent new starts for missions to return soil and rock samples from Mars and to construct an orbiter for studies of Jupiter’s moon, Europa. For the next decade, NASA major science initiative will be the Mars Science Laboratory, also known as Curiosity, a rover that will assess the habitability of the Martian terrain.
http://www.spacepolitics.com/2011/03/04/more-questions-about-nasa-priorities/
C. From the Huntsville Times, March 4: In an editorial, the newspaper welcomes NASA’s decision to task Marshall with the development of the Space Launch System, a powerful new rocket for human deep space exploration.
http://blog.al.com/times-views/2011/03/editorial_nasa_assignment_will.html
4. From the Huntsville Times, March 6: HEALS, a spin-off from a light source developed by NASA for plant growth, relieves the pain of chemotherapy and radiation in cancer treatments. The acronym stands for High Emission Aluminiferous Luminescent Substrate. The device, a healing agent, passes a two-year clinical trial.
http://blog.al.com/space-news/2011/03/nasa_plant_lights_spin_off_med.html
5. From Spaceflightnow.com, March 5: The U.S. Air Force reusable X-37B launches on its second orbital test flight from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. The mission activities are classified, but likely involving expanding a flight enveloped opened by the eight month first mission of the Orbital Test Vehicle. The spacecraft, built by Boeing, has developmental roots in NASA.
http://www.spaceflightnow.com/atlas/av026/
6. From Space.com, March 4-5: Two from the website on the loss of NASA’s Glory mission on March 4.
A. Why the NASA’s Glory climate research missions was significant, with early explanation for the shroud failure. Glory was to shed new light on how much solar energy arrives at the Earth and how much is reflected back by particles called aerosols in the atmosphere.
http://www.exploredeepspace.com/11030-nasa-glory-climate-satellite-failure.html
B. The failure of the shroud system on the Taurus XL rocket should not affect Orbital Science Corps efforts to develop commercial cargo and crew spacecraft to carry supplies and astronauts to the International Space Station, according to Barron Beneski, an Orbital spokesman.
http://www.exploredeepspace.com/11036-glory-satellite-launch-failure-nasa-deal.html
7. From Spacepolicyonline.com, March 6: Space policy events of note this week.
http://www.spacepolicyonline.com/pages/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1471:events-of-interest-week-of-march-7-11-2011&catid=67:news&Itemid=27
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