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Monday’s CSExtra offers the latest reporting on space-related activities from across the globe, plus a roundup of activities from the weekend. NASA’s GRAIL lunar mission launches Saturday after a pair of 24 hour delays. The twin probes will help scientists study the crust to core composition of the moon. NASA’s Mars Exploration Rovers carry enduring tributes to the 9/11 attacks. As part of their investigation into an Aug. 24 Soyuz rocket failure, a Russian State Commission calls for closer supervision of manufacturing processes. NASA establishes a Florida-based non profit organization to manage research aboard the International Space Station carried out by other federal agencies, the commercial sector and academia. New cost estimates emerge for the development of a new NASA heavy lift rocket, capsule and launch facilities to support future human exploration. NASA and the military offer assurances the risk posed by the uncontrolled re-entry of the 20-year-old Upper Atmospheric Research Satellite is small. NASA receives editorial support for an adequately staffed astronaut corps. More concerns arise that the growing cost of the James Webb Space Telescope might jeopardize NASA planetary science missions. September produces a Harvest Moon. A look at space activities scheduled for the week ahead.
1. From Spaceflightnow.com, Sept. 10: NASA’s lunar GRAIL mission launches successfully. A Delta 2 rocket boosted the twin lunar probes. The two craft will circle the moon in polar orbits to determine the composition of the moon from crust to core. The launch was delayed on two previous days by weather and technical issues.
http://www.spaceflightnow.com/delta/d356/
A. From Florida Today, Sept. 9: In an op-ed, NASA Administrator Charles Bolden underscores the high tech job prospects that accompany NASA space science activities, like the launch of the GRAIL mission, the August launch of the Jupiter-bound Juno mission and the upcoming late November launch of the Mars Science Laboratory. “The Space Coast is one of the key areas where these jobs will continue to be needed,” writes Bolden.
2. From Discovery.com, Sept 10: This weekend marked the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on New York City and Washington D. C. with the hijackings of three airliners. NASA’s Mars Exploration Rovers Spirit and Opportunity carry small bits of aluminum from New York’s destroyed World Trade Center towers. The gesture serves as a tribute to those who lost their lives. The rovers reached Mars in 2004, and Opportunity continues to function.
http://news.discovery.com/space/911-mars-tributes-could-last-millions-of-years-110910.html
3. From the Voice of Russia, Sept. 10: The Russian State Commission probing the Aug. 24 Soyuz launch failure that doomed a Progress cargo mission to the International Space Station urges new surveillance over the production of propulsion systems as part of recommended improvements in quality control. The pace and effectiveness of Russia’s recovery could determine whether the 15 nation space station partnership must consider a temporary de-staffing of the orbiting lab to accommodate a recovery.
http://english.ruvr.ru/2011/09/10/55967955.html
4. From Space.com Sept. 10: NASA finalizes an agreement with the non-profit Center for the Advancement of Science in Space to administer portions of the International Space Station not used by NASA. Florida-based CASIS will receive $15 million annually to sponsor research from commercial and academic researchers as well as those from other federal agencies.
http://www.exploredeepspace.com/12906-nasa-outsources-science-space-station-casis.html
5. From Aviation Week and Space Technology, Sept. 10: New cost estimates suggest NASA can produce and test fly the Space Launch System, a new heavy lift rocket, by 2017 at an estimated cost of $18 billion. The SLS, the Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle and upgrades to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, which are included in the estimates, are cornerstones of the agency’s plans for future human exploration missions to deep space destinations.
http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story_channel.jsp?channel=space&id=news/asd/2011/09/12/01.xml&headline=NASA%20Sees%20Testing%20SLS%20In%202017%20for%20$18B
A. From Spacepolitics.com, Sept. 11: Senate appropriators appear to have $2 billion more then their counterparts in the House to allocate to commerce, justice and science activities. There is no guarantee the additional funding would go to agencies like NASA and NOAA.
http://www.spacepolitics.com/2011/09/11/a-bit-of-wiggle-room-in-senate-budgets/
6. From Spaceflightnow.com, Sept. 9: NASA’s 20-year-old Upper Atmospheric Research Satellite will fall back to Earth between late September and early October without posing significant risk to the pubic, say experts from the military and space agency. The official number is one in 3,200 that any one person could become a casualty of debris from the falling satellite.
http://www.spaceflightnow.com/news/n1109/09uarsentry/
7. From Florida Today, Sept. 10: A column by John Kelly outlines concerns raised last week by the National Research Council over the strength of NASA’s astronaut corps. The numbers began to fall with the pending retirement of the shuttle program. As the numbers continue to slip, there may not be enough personnel to staff the International Space Station and lend expertise to the new spacecraft the space agency hopes to develop for commercial flight and deep space exploration.
http://www.floridatoday.com/article/20110911/COLUMNISTS0405/109110315/John-Kelly-Training-time-might-leave-gap?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|Space%20News
8. From MSNBC and Cosmic Log, Sept. 9: Some scientists are concerned that the cost over runs experienced by the James Webb Space Telescope could jeopardize other planetary science missions.
http://cosmiclog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/09/09/7694316-scientists-balk-at-telescope-bailout
9. ATK, the Minneapolis based company that produces solid rocket boosters, announces the move of its corporate headquarters to Arlington, Va. The company joins a small parade of defense and aerospace contractors re-locating to the Washington area to be closer to their government customers.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/capitalbusiness/defense-contractor-atk-to-relocate-headquarters-to-arlington/2011/09/08/gIQAqVmqKK_story.html
10. From Space.com: September’s full moon peaks tonight in the northern hemisphere as a “Harvest Moon.”
http://www.exploredeepspace.com/12912-harvest-moon-september-skywatching-tips-full-moons.html
11. From Spacepolicyonline.com, Sept. 11: Space activities and policy related events scheduled for the week ahead,
http://www.spacepolicyonline.com/pages/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1854:events-of-interest-week-of-september-12-16-2011&catid=67:news&Itemid=27
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