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.
Wednesday’s CSExtra offers the latest in reporting and commentary on space related activities from around the globe. Favorable weather is expected for Saturday’s attempt to launch NASA’s Mars Science Laboratory, an ambitious mission to determine whether the Red Planet is suitable for life. The U. S. and Europeans assist Russia with efforts to send the stranded Photos-Grunt mission to Mars. In Washington, experts begin to size up the future impact of the 2010 Budget Control Act on defense and non defense spending. In New York, the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum takes title to Enterprise, the test shuttle orbiter. Scientists develop an index to rank the habitability of planets discovered outside the solar system. China’s confers patent certificates for the mechanism that docked the unpiloted Shenzhou-8 and Tiangong-1 space lab earlier this month.
1. From Florida Today: NASA’s Mars Science Laboratory is poised to launch on Saturday. Forecasters predict a 70 percent chance of favorable weather for a lift off during a window that starts Saturday at 10:02 a.m., EST. The $2.5 billion rover mission to evaluate the Martian environment for habitable conditions would reach Mars in August.
http://bit.ly/sNgazA
A. From the New York Times: Scientists believe NASA’s Mars Science Laboratory can shed new light on whether the Martian environment is suitable for life.
http://nyti.ms/shXTYh
B. From the Houston Chronicle: The Mars Science Laboratory, also known as Curiosity, dwarfs NASA’s productive Spirit and Opportunity rovers that landed on Mars in early 2004. Airbags cushioned the landing. Curiosity, as large as a small car, requires a new landing strategy that will have engineers “biting their nails.” MSL is due to reach Mars in August.
2. From Space.com: The European Space Agency and NASA have come to the aid of the Russian team attempting to free their Mars-bound Phobos-Grunt mission from Earth orbit. The spacecraft has been locked there since its launching in early November and unable to respond to ground commands. In days, the Earth and Mars will no longer be optimally aligned for the mission. The probe was to gather samples of the Martian moon Phobos and return them to Earth in 2014.
3. From Spacepolicyonline.com: A look at the prospects of spending cuts on agencies like NASA as a consequence of a Congressional super committee’s inability to come to agreement on a deficit reduction strategy. The Budget Control Act of 2010 includes a formula for automatic future defense as well as non defense spending reductions.
4. From the New York Times: New York’s Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum gains title to Enterprise, the prototype space shuttle orbiter. Display plans for Enterprise, announced by NASA in April, drew protests from officials in Texas, Ohio and Seattle because of the museum’s intention to temporarily store the test space plane in a hanger at the Kennedy International Airport while a display facility was constructed near the Intrepid, a decommissioned aircraft carrier. Instead, Enterprise will be placed on the flight deck.
http://nyti.ms/tVe7QE
A. From Collectspace.com: Enterprise will be displayed under a protective cover on Intrepid’s deck. Enterprise should arrive in 2012.
http://bit.ly/sp1Uxb
5. From MSNBC and Cosmic Log: Scientists develop a “habitability” scale for exo-planets. The index, which will be published in the journal Astrobiology may assist experts gauge which of the new alien worlds they are discovering are best suited for life.
6. From Xinhua.net of China: China confers 15 patents for the docking mechanism used to join the un-piloted Shenzhou 8 capsule and the Tiangong-1 space lab earlier this month.
http://bit.ly/uDCepp
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.