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Monday’s CSExtra offers a collection of the latest reporting and commentary on space-related activities from around the globe, plus a roundup of weekend activities. China is days from a key launch in the country’s plans to place an independent space station into orbit. NASA’s 20-year-old Upper Atmospheric Research Satellite plummets to Earth over the weekend without reports of injury or property damage. Space Launch, once mired in bankruptcy, resumes launches, sending a European telecommunications satellite into orbit. Japan launches a spy satellite. A NASA sponsored study suggests the private sector can develop new spacecraft at significant savings. More intrigue surfaces in Houston’s unsuccessful pursuit of a retired space shuttle orbiter. The value of U.S. space leadership. Reality television visits Huntsville’s Space & Rocket Center. A summary of space activities and events planned for the week ahead.
1. From The Coalition for Space Exploration, Sept. 23: China braces for the launching of Tiangong 1, a lynch pin in Chinese plans to construct an independent space station. The lift off is set for Sept. 27-30, say Chinese authorities. The new spacecraft will enable China to develop orbital rendezvous and docking procedures.
http://www.exploredeepspace.com/blog/10868?doing_wp_cron
A. From Xinhua.net of China, Sept. 26: Changing weather pushes the Tiangong 1 launch to Sept. 29-30.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/china/2011-09/26/c_131160227.htm
2. From the New York Times, Sept. 24: NASA’s six ton, 20-year-old Upper Atmospheric Research Satellite fell to Earth early Saturday. The exact location was unclear but likely over the Pacific Ocean. There were no reports of injury or property damage associated with a re-entry event that gained worldwide interest as the spacecraft descended lower and lower in the past several weeks.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/25/science/space/25satellite.html?_r=1
A. From Space.com, Sept. 25: NASA’s falling UARS satellite drew reports from public observers far and wide, including some with false claims of debris striking northern Canada.
http://www.exploredeepspace.com/13080-falling-uars-satellite-skywatching-hoaxes.html
3. From RIA Novosti, Sept. 25: Sea Launch resumes launch operations, marking a recovery from bankruptcy. The company’s Russian/Ukrainian booster successfully placed a European communications satellite into orbit from its ocean going launch platform.
http://en.rian.ru/world/20110925/167108997.html
A. From Spaceflightnow.com, Sept. 24: Japan launches a spy satellite to observe missile developments in North Korea.
http://www.spaceflightnow.com/h2a/f19/
4. From Florida Today, Sept. 24: A study requested by NASA finds big savings in rocket development by the commercial space flight industry, according to columnist John Kelly. SpaceX and the Falcon 9 rocket served as the study model that found costs reduced by about one third.
http://www.floridatoday.com/article/20110925/COLUMNISTS0405/109250303/John-Kelly-Privatization-s-value-evident-study?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|Space%20News
5. From the Houston Chronicle, Sept. 24: The Texas city that serves as the home to NASA’s Johnson Space Center had a slim chance of receiving a retired space shuttle — the flight test vehicle Enterprise, according to a newspaper document search. However, in an exchange of ownership, NASA traded orbiter Discovery to the Smithsonian’s Air and Space Museum for Enterprise. Enterprise was dispatched to New York City’s Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum
http://www.chron.com/news/nation-world/article/Details-show-how-JSC-lost-bid-for-shuttle-2187228.php?r44b=no
6. From the Philadelphia Inquirer, Sept. 24: In an op-ed, MIT aeronautics professor Wesley Harris outlines the economic and scholarly advantages of the U. S. maintaining its leadership in the exploration of space. “Everyone understands that federal funding is scarce. But cutting our commitment to space would sacrifice far more than it would save,” writes Harris.
7. From The Huntsville Times, Sept. 25: A visit to the U. S. Space & Rocket Center by an Arkansas family draws the interest of the TLC reality show, 19 Kids and Counting.
http://blog.al.com/breaking/2011/09/19_future_astronauts_and_count.html
8. From Spacepolicyonline.com, Sept. 25: A listing of major space policy events scheduled for the week ahead.
http://www.spacepolicyonline.com/pages/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1901:events-of-interest-week-of-september-26-october-1-2011&catid=67:news&Itemid=27
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