Sunday’s CSExtra includes the latest edition of This Week in Space with Miles O’Brien who reports on the latest space shuttle launch scheduling plus an interview with Ken Bowersox on the Falcon 9’s recent test success. ATK receives a funding reprieve from NASA. NASA’s Deep Impact probe swings by the Earth on Sunday on its way to a new destination.
1. From This Week in Space with Miles O’Brien and Spaceflightnow: This week’s webcast features an interview with Ken Bowersox, the former NASA astronaut who is now at SpaceX, where he assists with the development of the Falcon 9 rocket. Bowersox discusses broad upgrades for a Block 2, Falcon 9 that could carry astronauts. He offers some thoughts as well on the harsh tone of the current debate over the nation’s future in space. A more inclusive process focused on lowering the cost of space access would help, he believes.
http://www.spaceflightnow.com/twis/
2. From the McClatchy-Tribune News Service via Trading Market.com: NASA releases funds to ATK, the Constellation Program’s Ares 1 prime contractor, allowing the rocket maker to continue development work through September on the rocket designated to replace the shuttle. With NASA’s Constellation Program facing termination by the White House, NASA said previously it was holding on to funds to cover contract termination expenses. Now, NASA has indicated it will release about $160 million to ATK. Some job losses at the rocket maker will be deferred as well.
http://www.tradingmarkets.com/news/stock-alert/atk_atk-nasa-releases-funds-ares-rocket-work-may-continue-through-at-least-september-1006116.html
3. From the Galveston Daily News: On June 18, the White House proposed a $100 million budget amendment for NASA, money that will help deal with anticipated job losses surrounding the shuttle’s retirement and the cancellation of Constellation. Some $40 million will go to Central Florida to assist Kennedy Space Center workers. Another $60 million will help NASA workers in the Houston area and other NASA locales around the country. Specific allocations will be assigned by Aug. 15, the newspaper reports.
http://www.galvnews.com/story/159262
4. From Universe Today: NASA’s Deep Impact spacecraft will whip close to the Earth on Sunday to gain a gravitational boost. The added momentum will bring the probe close to the comet Hartley 2 later this year. Deep Impact’s original mission was to impact the comet Temple 1 in mid-2005. After a successful impact, Deep Impact was given a new destination and mission.
http://www.universetoday.com/2010/06/25/spacecraft-to-make-final-flyby-of-earth/
5. From Spaceflightnow.com: An Ariane V rocket launches Arab communications and South Korean weather satellites on Saturday, after delays last week.
http://www.spaceflightnow.com/ariane/v195/
6. From Space.com: A recent study by scientists at the Lawrence Livermore Laboratory suggests nuclear weapons could be an effective “last option” to avoiding a devastating collision with an asteroid.
http://www.exploredeepspace.com/scienceastronomy/diverting-asteroids-nuclear-explosives-100625.html
7. From Florida Today: The newspaper takes an in depth look at the rocket engines that will help to propel the shuttle Discovery into orbit on its final scheduled mission this October.
http://www.floridatoday.com/article/20100627/NEWS02/6270322/Dedication-helps-propel-Discovery-s-engines
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