To subscribe to CSExtra via RSS feed click here.
If you would prefer to receive CSExtra in e-mail format, e-mail us at Info@space.com with the word SUBSCRIBE in the subject line.
Thursday’s space news scan offers the latest reporting and commentary on space related events from around the globe. At the Kennedy Space Center, efforts move ahead of schedule to ready Atlantis for NASA’s final shuttle mission. U S. Senators from Florida and Texas urge support for the 2010 NASA Authorization Act and its human exploration agenda. NASA closes in on a new heavy lift rocket strategy. Looking for a space friendly Republican presidential candidate. The NASA-led Cassini mission finds evidence that Saturn’s moon Enceladus harbors a salty ocean. In Washington, talk surfaces of retiring NASA astronaut Mark Kelly as a candidate for the U. S. Senate from Arizona.
1. From Spaceflightnow.com: At the Kennedy Space Center, launch teams prepare the shuttle Atlantis for a July 8 lift off on NASA’s final shuttle mission. The work is focused on X-rays of the external fuel tank and the replacement of a leaky fuel valve. The work should be complete by early next week. Meanwhile, Atlantis commander Chris Ferguson, pilot Doug Hurley and mission specialists Sandra Magnus and Rex Walheim participate in a full dress countdown rehearsal today. http://www.spaceflightnow.com/shuttle/sts135/110622status/
2. From Florida Today: The Atlantis astronauts say they’re honored to fly NASA’s final space shuttle mission. The fliers pay tribute to thousands of workers who are preparing the orbiter for a 12-day supply mission to the International Space Station.http://space.flatoday.net/2011/06/sts135-astronauts-honored-to-be-last.html
3. From the Orlando Sentinel: An op-ed from U. S. Sen. Bill Nelson, the Florida Democrat, and U. S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, the Texas Republican, on NASA’s future. The two lawmakers point to the 2010 NASA Authorization Act as the blue print to guide the space agency’s future . They call for adequate funding as part of a strategy to bolster U. S. national security and economic health.http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/opinion/os-ed-bill-nelson-kay-hutchison-0623120110622,0,4272316.story
4. From MSNBC: NASA closes in on a new heavy lift rocket strategy that could become the centerpiece for future human deep space exploration. A formal announcement on the strategy is expected around the July 8th launching of the final shuttle mission. The new Space Launch System, as spelled out in the 2010 NASA Authorization Act, combines elements of space shuttle propulsion and the cancelled Constellation Program’s Ares 5 rocket, MSNBC reports.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/43496953/ns/technology_and_science-space/
5. From the Huntsville Times: In an editorial, the Alabama newspaper decries the lack of support for NASA and civil space among prospective Republican presidential candidates.http://blog.al.com/times-views/2011/06/editorial_nasa_struggling_for.html
6. From Scientific American: Findings from the NASA-led Cassini mission suggest Saturn’s volcanically active moon Enceladus harbors a salt water ocean.
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=enceladus-saltwater-liquid
7. From The Washington Post: Will NASA astronaut Mark Kelly go the way of John Glenn and Harrison Schmitt, two former astronauts who pursued political careers in the U. S. Senate? Kelly, who commanded shuttle Endeavour’s final flight in May, announced earlier this week he will retire from the space agency and the Navy effective Oct, 1. Kelly, who is married to Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, plans to take a more direct role in her recovery from a gunshot wound and pen a memoir. In Arizona, however, Kelly is also mentioned as a potential candidate for the U. S. Senate.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/reliable-source/post/astronaut-mark-kelly-arizonas-next-senator/2011/06/22/AG8k3MgH_blog.html
Brought to you by the Coalition for Space Exploration, CSExtra is a daily compilation of space industry news selected from hundreds of online media resources. The Coalition is not the author or reporter of any of the stories appearing in CSExtra and does not control and is not responsible for the content of any of these stories. The content available through CSExtra contains links to other websites and domains which are wholly independent of the Coalition, and the Coalition makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy, completeness or authenticity of the information contained in any such site or domain and does not pre-screen or approve any content. The Coalition does not endorse or receive any type of compensation from the included media outlets and is not responsible or liable in any way for any content of CSExtra or for any loss, damage or injury incurred as a result of any content appearing in CSExtra. For information on the Coalition, visit