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.
Tuesday’s CSExtra offers the latest reporting and commentary on space related activities from across the globe. Astronomers gathered in Wyoming announce the discovery of a new cache of extraterrestrial planets, among them one that resides within the habitable zone of its star. The House sets a Sept. 22 hearing on NASA’s future exploration plans. Those scheduled to testify include Neil Armstrong and Gene Cernan. Two commentaries examine a recent NASA staff departure and China’s future exploration plans. After 20 years in orbit, NASA’s Upper Atmospheric Research Satellite is falling back to Earth. Selling the debris is a prohibited. The first NASA Orion/Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicles headed for a trip to space takes shape at Lockheed Martin facilities near New Orleans. NASA’s human spaceflight ambitions are alive and well, says Scott Kelly, a former International Space Station commander.
1. From the Washington Post: In Europe, scientists announce the discovery of 50 new exo-planets that include a super Earth. Thirty six light years distant, HD85512b circles an orange star slightly smaller than the sun. It also orbits every 59 days at the edge of the star’s “habitable zone”, say astronomers. The place is 3.5 times as large as the Earth and quite warm. Water could be present. The number of exo-planets now exceeds 600.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/new-super-earth-is-36-light-years-distant-might-hold-water-astronomers-say/2011/09/12/gIQA4nN6MK_story.html?hpid=z2
A. From the New York Times: Astronomers estimate it may take years of observations to determine whether HD85512b, the new super Earth discovery, has environmental conditions suitable for life.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/13/science/space/13planet.html?_r=2&ref=science
B. From USAToday: Scientists meeting at the Extreme Solar Systems meeting in Wyoming report that 40 percent of nearby stars have a Saturn-sized planet or something smaller.
http://content.usatoday.com/communities/sciencefair/post/2011/09/european-astronomers-haul-in-more-than-50-new-planets/1
C. From Discovery.com: The exo-planet discoveries were made with the European Southern Observatory’s High Accuracy Radial Velocity Planet Searcher, or HARPS. The exo-planet announcement is the largest of its kind.
http://news.discovery.com/space/new-batch-of-alien-worlds-revealed-110912.html
2. From Spacepolitics.com: The House Science, Space and Technology Committee announce a Sept. 22 hearing, NASA Human Space Flight, Past, Present and Future Where do we go from Here? Witnesses include Neil Armstrong and Gene Cernan, the first and last Apollo astronauts to walk on the moon, and Mike Griffin, the architect of the Bush Administration’s cancelled Constellation program.
http://www.spacepolitics.com/2011/09/12/upcoming-cjs-markup-human-spaceflight-hearing/
3. Two from The Space Review of Monday:
A. In “Dropped Shoes,” scientist and frequent contributor Louis Friedman finds a troubling trend in the announcement last week from Bobby Braun that he will end his short tenure at NASA as chief technologist to return to academia. Friedman expresses concern the agency’s future is being drained of investments in technology and science that would enrich future human and robotic exploration.
http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1925/1
B. In “Moon Dragon,” Dwayne Day, another frequent TSR contributor, examines China’s space intentions after the upcoming launch of a test component for a future independent space station. It looks like China is in space for the long haul, but the clarity of its intentions extends only to a build up in military space capabilities. Differences in language and a lack of transparency in governance make China’s future intentions difficult to discern, writes Day.
http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1924/1
4. From Collectspace.com: NASA’s 20-year-old Upper Atmospheric Research Satellite is expected to fall back to Earth in late September. The risk to the public is small. If anyone is fortunate enough to find a piece of the fallen satellite, federal and international regulations prohibit efforts to sell it on e-Bay.
http://www.collectspace.com/news/news-091211a.html
5. From Space.com: At Lockheed Martin’s assembly plant in Michoud, La., work has begun on the first Orion/Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle headed for a future space flight. Next stop, the Kennedy Space Center, where components will be assembled into a full spacecraft.
http://www.exploredeepspace.com/12922-nasa-deep-space-capsule-construction.html
6. From Culture Map of Houston: Former International Space Station commander Scott Kelly explains that Houston is still “space city” in the aftermath of the shuttle program’s retirement and ready to lead the nation to new destinations.
http://houston.culturemap.com/newsdetail/09-12-11-astronaut-scott-kelly-wants-everyone-to-know-that-space-city-isnt-dead-insists-houstons-still-vital-in-space/
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 www.space.com or contact us via e-mail at Info@space.com.