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Wednesday’s CSExtra offers a roundup of the latest reporting on space related developments from around the world. Norm Augustine, chairman of the 2009 Review of U. S. Human Space Flight Plans Committee, finds NASA on a better path — but still underfunded. At the Kennedy Space Center, Endeavour is undergoing repairs that could permit a second launch attempt next week. New studies suggest ocean levels will rise substantially by the end of the century as the Greenland ice cap and the Arctic melt in response to a changing climate. European Space Agency astronaut Paolo Nespoli, a resident of the International Space Station, learns of his mother’s death in his native Italy. Earlier this month, the world celebrated the 50th anniversary of Soviet Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin’s pioneering human space flight. On Thursday, the U. S. will mark the 50th anniversary of Mercury astronaut Alan B. Shepard’s suborbital flight, the first trip into space by an American. The NASA-led Cassini mission to Saturn has provided evidence of a hidden ocean on the moon Titan. Former NASA astronaut Rich Clifford discusses his battle with Parkinson’s disease and desire to fly in space.
1. From MSNBC: In an interview, Norm Augustine reflects on the conclusions reached by the Review of U. S. Human Space Flight Plans Committee he led two years ago. Augustine endorses the flexible path of exploration the White House and Congress seem to have adopted, but he finds future funding levels lacking. “The question is whether we will add the money in the out years or not,” Augustine tells MSNBC. “If we add the money, then this will be the right program in my judgment.” The agency needs an additional $3 billion annually if it is to embark on a successful human exploration program, the commission concluded in 2009.
http://cosmiclog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/05/03/6577619-is-our-space-vision-still-shortsighted
2. From Florida Today: At the Kennedy Space Center, technicians are in the process of replacing a faulty electronics box in the shuttle Endeavour, as NASA aims for a May 10 second attempt to launch the 19-year-old spacecraft on its final flight. The older box, removed early Tuesday, is blamed for a hydraulic system heater failure that forced an April 29 launch scrub.
http://www.floridatoday.com/article/20110504/NEWS02/105040320/Crews-installing-new-switch-box-Endeavour?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|Home
3. From the Associated Press via the Washington Post: The Greenland ice cap and Arctic are melting at a rate that could lead to a 5 foot increase in sea levels this century, the scientific arm of the eight-nation Arctic Council reports.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/new-climate-report-confirms-arctic-melt-accelerating-sharply-raises-sea-level-rise-projection/2011/05/03/AFQQGufF_story.html
4. From Space.com: The mother of Paolo Nespoli, one of six U. S., Russian and European astronauts aboard the International Space Station, dies in her native Italy earlier this week. Nespoli, who spoke with his mother regularly from the space station, is currently scheduled to return to Earth with two crew mates in late May.
http://www.exploredeepspace.com/11551-italian-astronaut-mother-dies-space-station.html
5. From USA Today: Thursday will mark the 50th anniversary of America’s first human spaceflight. Mercury Astronaut Alan B. Shepard rode Freedom 7 out of the atmosphere and back in during a 15-minute suborbital hop. The flight established the ground work for John Glenn’s orbital mission in early 1962. Shepard went on to become one of 12 American who walked on the moon as the commander of Apollo 14.
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/science/space/2011-05-03-shepard-space-anniversary_n.htm
A. From Florida Today: The U. S. Postal Service introduces a new stamp commemorating Alan B. Shepard, and NASA’s current MESSENGER mission to the planet Mercury.
http://www.floridatoday.com/article/20110504/NEWS02/105040323/New-stamps-salute-Mercury-astronaut-Shepard-Messenger-spacecraft?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|Home|p
6. From Space.com: Scientists say data from the NASA-led Cassini mission suggests that Saturn’s moon Titan harbors an ocean.
http://www.exploredeepspace.com/11550-saturn-moon-titan-underground-ocean.html
7. From Discovery.com: Retired NASA shuttle astronaut Rich Clifford reveals that 15 years ago, he launched into space though diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. http://news.discovery.com/space/shuttle-astronaut-flew-with-secret-he-had-parkinsons-110503.html
A. From KHOU-TV: Clifford offers a first hand account of his 1994 diagnosis and decision to fly in space and carry out a spacewalk.
http://www.khou.com/news/local/NASA-astronaut-shares-120818114.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 www.space.com or contact us via e-mail at Info@space.com.