Now on orbit – the Coalition for Space Exploration’s latest Think Outside the Circle PSA. Benefits of space surround us.
Learn more about how technologies we develop to explore space keep us closer and safer on Earth.
Click here to watch the PSAand get free downloads.
Tuesday’s CSExtra offers a collection of the latest reporting and commentary on space-related activities from around the globe. California-based SpaceX will aim for a Nov. 30 launching of the first U. S. commercial supply mission to the International Space Station. The astronauts who flew NASA’s final shuttle mission visit New York City this week for a series of educational events and appearances. Their 13-day flight ended July 21. China launches an ocean surveillance satellite. NASA’s Pluto-bound New Horizon’s mission picks up a new moon to study. Time offers praise for Opportunity. In commentary from The Space Review, experts see space exploration thriving in spite of the shuttle’s retirement. Brazil positions itself for a bright future in commercial space. A better sense of touch through space technology.
1. From the Huntsville Times: SpaceX says it will aim for a Nov. 30 launching of the first U. S. commercial re-supply mission to the International Space Station. The capsule would rendezvous with the station on Dec. 7, allowing astronauts on board to snare the craft with a robot arm. http://blog.al.com/space-news/2011/08/spacex_says_it_will_launch_unm.html
2. From Space.com: The crew of NASA’s final shuttle mission visit New York City this week. They’ll visit the American Museum of Natural History, appear on the Colbert Report and visit the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum. http://www.exploredeepspace.com/12634-final-space-shuttle-astronauts-nyc-visit.html
3. From Spaceflightnow.com: China successfully launches an ocean surveillance satellite on Monday. It was the eighth spacecraft launch of the year for the Chinese. http://www.spaceflightnow.com/news/n1108/15longmarch/
4. From the Boulder Daily Camera of Colorado: Last month, astronomers discovered a fourth moon circling distant Pluto, tossing a new surprise to Alan Stern, principal investigator for the NASA funded New Horizons mission. Launched in early 2006, New Horizons is four years from reaching Pluto. The journey is likely to bring more surprises as it unfolds. http://www.dailycamera.com/science-environment/ci_18676246
5. From Time Magazine: NASA’s Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity wins praise from the news magazine. The seven-year-old mechanical geologist recently completed a three-year trek to Endeavour Crater on Mars. Opportunity is sending images of new Martian vistas to Earth and searching for evidence the region once had conditions suitable for life. http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,2088306,00.html
6. Three from Monday’s The Space Review:
A. In “After the shuttle era, space exploration continues and thrives,” Louis Friedman, scientist and regular contributor to TSR makes the case for a robust and global space exploration effort in the wake of the shuttle program’s retirement. With some frustration, he notes that too many believe the excitement of exploration is diminishing. Not so, he writes. NASA and its partners began the spacecraft exploration of the asteroid Vesta last month, launched the Juno probe to Jupiter and witnessed the signature of water flows on Mars. First ever U. S. probes are on the way to Pluto and circling Mercury. Europe, Russia, Japan and China are exploring as well. “From Mercury to Pluto, we are, right now, conducting great adventures throughout the solar system and making discoveries,” writes Friedman. “There is no end to space and making discoveries, teaching us more and more about our origins, evolution and environment.” http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1905/1
B. In “An enduring proposition for NASA human space flight (part 2),” Mary Lynne Dittmar, a veteran aerospace consultant, continues her assessment of a stable underpinning of support for U. S. human space flight. Dittmar finds it in the soft power contributions to U. S. national security. http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1907/1
C. In “Will a new space power arise along the Atlantic?” Doug Messier, the managing editor of Parabolicarc.com, take a look at Brazil’s Alcontara Launch Center and finds a promising future for the launch of communications satellites to geosynchronous orbit. There will be obstacles, however, including the upfront financial investment and training for engineers and technicians.
http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1904/1
7. From Space.com: At Georgia Tech University, researchers find that a vibrating glove worn by spacewalking astronauts improves the sense of touch. The same technology could assist surgeons and other professionals whose sense of touch is linked to their performance. http://www.exploredeepspace.com/12639-vibrating-glove-astronauts-surgeons.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 CSExtraand does not control and is not responsible for the content of any of these stories. The content available through CSExtracontains 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, visitwww.space.com or contact us via e-mail at Info@space.com.