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Tuesday’s CSExtra offers the latest in reporting and commentary on space activities from around the world: NASA decides on new measures to strengthen shuttle Discovery’s external fuel tank. Delayed since Nov. 5, Discovery could be ready to fly by Feb. 24.  Astronomers meeting in Seattle announce the discovery of the smallest exo-planet yet. Kepler 10b is rocky like the Earth, but larger. The International Space Station crew observes a moment of silence for the Tucson, Arizona shooting victims. Russia focuses on an ambitious 2011 in space, the 50th anniversary of the first human space flight.  Dealing with cost overruns on space projects that enjoy public support. Where next for humans in space. Two named to the Astronaut Hall of Fame.  A new military drone could replace the need for some reconnaissance satellites.

1. From Spacepolicyonline.com: Shuttle Discovery’s final mission has been on hold since a Nov. 5 launch scrub. Troubleshooting is under way to repair and determine the cause of small external fuel tank cracks. NASA’s space operations team plans a Tuesday news briefing to offer an update on recovery plans.
http://www.spacepolicyonline.com/pages/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1338:nasa-press-conference-tomorrow-on-sts-133-discovery&catid=67:news&Itemid=27

A. From Spaceflightnow.com: Technicians at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center will fortify all 108 stringers on Discovery’s external fuel tank. The modification is intended to prevent new cracks like those found after a Nov. 5 launch scrub. If the modification goes smoothly, Discovery could be ready to fly as soon as Feb. 24.
http://www.spaceflightnow.com/shuttle/sts133/110110tank/

B. From WFTV-Orlando:  U.S. Senator Bill Nelson of Florida suggests NASA may have to settle for  two rather than three more shuttle missions, if the agency’s experts cannot resolve the cracks found on Discovery’s fuel tank. Endeavour is to fly the final scheduled mission in early April. However, NASA would like to launch Atlantis one more time after June 1 with supplies for the International Space Station.
http://www.wftv.com/news/26434686/detail.html

2. From the New York Times: Scientists announced the discovery of the smallest exo-planet yet detected, Kepler 10b. The planet is rocky like the Earth and nearly five times larger. It’s also lethally hot. NASA’s Kepler space telescope makes the discovery, which was announced at the at American Astronomical Society meeting under way this week in Seattle.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/11/science/space/11planet.html?_r=1&scp=2&sq=NASA&st=cse

A. From the Associated Press via the Los Angeles Times: Astronomers study a strange green cloud 650 million light years from Earth. The accumulation of hydrogen is about the size of the Milky Way galaxy and spawning new stars. The object is known as Hanny’s Voorwerp, or “object,” in honor of the Dutch school teacher who first spotted the greenish mass in 2007. The discovery was announced at the American Astronomical Society meeting this week in Seattle.
http://www.latimes.com/news/science/wire/sns-ap-us-sci-space-blob,0,1135208.story

3. From the Associated Press via the Washington Post: Astronaut Scott Kelly, commander of the International Space Station, leads a moment of silence in observation of the victims of Saturday’s shooting spree in Tucson, Ariz.  Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, a shooting victim, is the wife of Scott Kelly’s brother, Mark Kelly, also a NASA astronaut. “As I look out the window, I see a very beautiful planet that seems very inviting and peaceful,” said Kelly.  “Unfortunately, it is not. We must do better.”
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/01/10/AR2011011003134.html

4. From Itar-Tass of Russia: The Russian space program has ambitious plans for 2011, including the first launch of a Soyuz rocket from French Guiana, possibly in late July. In October, Russia plans to resume missions to Mars, with the launching of a rock sample return mission to the Martian moon Phobos.
http://www.itar-tass.com/eng/level2.html?NewsID=15845352&PageNum=0

5.  Two from the Space Review:  Dealing with cost overruns on popular space projects and where next in space for humans:

A. In “Public interest and space exploration,” contributor Louis Friedman urges attention to public engagement in future NASA/Congressional funding decisions. The James Webb Space Telescope, which will replace the Hubble Space Telescope, remains an important part of that strategy, even though the project is facing a major cost overrun and schedule delay, he writes.
http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1755/1

B. In “Human operations beyond LEO by the end of the decade: An affordable near-term stepping stone,” Harley Thronson, Dan Lester, and Ted Talay, NASA advanced planner, University of Texas astronomer and propulsion expert at John Frassanito & Associates, outline a concept to establish in-space habitats at Earth-moon libration points. Using inflatable habitats and the Delta 4 launch vehicle, an outpost could be established within a decade as a human stepping stone to the lunar surface or a forward base for science missions.
http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1756/1

6. From Space.com: The newly revamped web site begins a series of reports on future human lunar exploration. The first report examines the reasons for returning to the moon with humans.
http://www.exploredeepspace.com/9716-moon-110110.html

7. From Collectspace.com: Karol Bobko and Susan Helms, two shuttle era astronauts, are headed into the Astronaut Hall of Fame. During a May induction, they will join 77 others from the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo eras.
http://www.collectspace.com/news/news-011011a.html

8. From the Los Angeles Times: New generations of military aircraft drones are starting to take to the skies. The large Global Observer can hover in the stratosphere for days, perhaps replacing military reconnaissance satellites.
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-drone-warfare-20110111,0,4325330.story?track=rss&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+latimes%2Fbusiness+%28L.A.+Times+-+Business%29

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